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In my experience, I’ve discovered that the costs associated with live TV video streaming services are typically on the higher end of the price spectrum. However, there is an exemption to this rule, and that is the free streaming service Pluto TV. It is owned by Viacom, and despite the fact that it does not include all of the most popular cable channels, it does provide a respectable variety of material relating to news, sports, and entertainment.
It is vital to keep in mind that you will not have access to features such as a digital video recorder (DVR), high-quality applications, or huge on-demand libraries if you use a free service. Pluto TV is an option to take into consideration if you are interested in finding a means to watch material comparable to that of cable television without incurring the associated costs.
Pluto TV Specifications
A Pluto TV review is important because it tells users about the service’s material, features, and how easy it is to use. This helps them choose the best free streaming entertainment.
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Content Selection | A wide variety of free, ad-supported TV shows and movies |
Live Channels | Over 250 live channels available in different genres |
On-Demand Content | Access to a library of on-demand movies and TV episodes |
Device Compatibility | Support for various devices like smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and streaming devices |
User Interface | Intuitive interface for easy navigation and content discovery |
Video Quality | Streaming quality up to [specify resolution, e.g., 1080p] |
Ad Interruptions | Ad-supported model with periodic interruptions for ads |
Account Required | No need for an account to access most of the content |
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What is Pluto TV?

For a free cable alternative, Pluto TV has been my go-to source. Since 2014, I’ve been a subscriber to this incredible over-the-top streaming service, and after Viacom’s acquisition of the company in 2019, it has become even more impressive. Viacom’s intentions for expanding into the streaming industry have been very exciting; but, for the time being, Pluto TV is serving as a wonderful tool to advertise Viacom’s other services such as CBS All Access.
Watching television using Pluto TV is a very convenient option for me. It doesn’t matter whether I’m using the Pluto TV app on my phone or my laptop to get to it; I have no trouble doing so. As long as my internet connection is consistent, I shouldn’t have any problems making use of the service. The nicest feature is that I can stream Pluto TV on numerous devices at the same time, which even allows me to watch it with my friends.
Pluto TV review: Web Interface
The web interface of Pluto TV is one that is really simple to navigate, in my experience. It differs from other live TV services in that it does not have a home page that highlights various types of content. You do not need to sign up for an account to use it, unless you wish to modify the channels that are displayed on your screen. Because there are so many different categories and channels, it is recommended that you sign up for an account so that you may hide the ones you aren’t interested in seeing.
Since the last time I used Pluto TV, there have been a lot of wonderful upgrades made to the service, which is really exciting. You are now able to search for particular channels and on-demand programming, features that were previously unavailable. The video content has been moved to the top half of the page, and the search results have been moved to the bottom half of the page. This makes it more simpler and more convenient to browse while watching something at the same time.
Pluto TV review: Playback Experience

When I used Pluto TV’s online player, I discovered that it has all of the typical playback features. This was my personal experience using the player. A progress bar that enables you to conveniently seek through on-demand content and options for closed captioning are available in the top right corner of the screen. It also features buttons that allow you to advance or rewind the video by 10 seconds.
On the other hand, I couldn’t find any options to change the playing quality using the parameters that were provided. The resolution may differ between Video on Demand (VOD) and live material, as stated by a representative of the corporation, but in general, they stream at a resolution lower than high definition (sub-HD) and at a rate of 30 frames per second (fps) on all devices. They recommend a download speed of at least 4 Mbps as a minimum.
Pluto TV review: Performance
When compared to Netflix’s 167 million subscribers, which I have personally experienced, I have found that Pluto TV has approximately 22 million average monthly watchers. This number is significantly lower than Netflix’s subscriber count. Despite this, there is still a sizeable amount of people.
This viewership figure is important to highlight because it contributes to an explanation of the performance of the service. The video quality starts out at a low resolution when you first start watching, but it quickly improves as you keep watching. There is one channel that streams content in 4K resolution (appropriately dubbed 4K TV), but you shouldn’t expect the service as a whole to have constant 4K or even Full HD quality any time soon. At the moment, the service almost always maxes out at HD quality.
In a manner comparable to that of standard cable, you will be subjected to commercial breaks around every eight minutes. These breaks might span anywhere from thirty seconds to two minutes. It seems as though the ads become more frequent the longer you watch, which is an interesting phenomenon; nevertheless, additional evidence is required to verify this theory.
Final verdict
From what I’ve seen, putting Pluto TV into groups can be hard. It’s not a live TV service like Sling TV or YouTube TV, but it’s also not just regular YouTube videos. Instead, it’s a unique mix of the two, and the best part is that it’s free for everyone, which I think is pretty cool.
But there are some problems with it. The channels don’t always show live shows, and they mostly show niche themes and bad movies. There isn’t a lot of top-notch material, and Pluto TV doesn’t have any original shows that are only available there. There are times when speed problems happen. In other words, I think it’s a service for a very narrow group of people.
Pluto TV review: The good and The bad
Pluto TV is a free live TV service that provides sufficient programming to be useful in an emergency; but, premium entertainment, news, and sports channels are not available.
The Good
- Works on a number of devices
- 250+ channels
The Bad
- No local channels
Questions and Answers
That’s right, Pluto TV is a totally free streaming service with more than 250 channels that lets you watch movies, live TV, and even your favorite TV shows.
There is no cost to get most of the shows on Pluto because they are old library material owned by Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS). However, there are costs to running the streaming service and the chance cost of not selling the rights to those shows to someone else.