The cost of subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV Plus add up fast. But there are some streaming services out there that won’t cost you a penny.
You may have already heard of Tubi, one of the most popular free streaming services, which boasts 97 million users. But you might be less familiar with Pluto TV.
Allow us to introduce you. Pluto TV is what’s known as a FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) service, and is operated by Paramount. It offers over 150 live channels in the UK and over 1,000 TV shows and movies to stream.
While it might not be home to the latest trending shows or Hollywood releases, you can watch everything in its library for no extra cost. That’s right, it’s completely free to use.
First launched in 2014, the service has come on leaps and bounds in the last 12 years.
It started with just 20 short-form channels, but has since convinced the likes of BBC, CNN, NFL, Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball to get on board.
As of April 2023, Pluto TV had 80 million monthly active users across four continents and over 35 territories.
But as there is no registration required to access Pluto TV’s content library, it’s likely that the number of users is actually much higher.
All you need to do to watch for yourself is visit pluto.tv via your web browser, or download the channel on your Apple TV, your phone’s App Store or on an Amazon Fire Stick.
If you do choose to register for a free Pluto TV account, you’ll be able to resume watching movies and TV shows from different devices and designate your favourite channels.
Metro’s review of Pluto TV
Metro entertainment reporter and horror fanatic Rebecca Sayce is a fan of Pluto TV.
‘I first decided to give Pluto a go when I saw Fangoria’s Terror Tuesday programming on the platform, putting together horror films available on the streamer based on a theme. I was then hooked by their Halfway to Halloween releases, giving me some spooky offerings to enjoy long before October.
‘While competing streamer Tubi boasts some hidden gem titles you may never have heard of, Pluto has plenty of huge TV and film franchises at your fingertips ready to binge in their entirety, from classic titles to more modern releases.
‘Pluto may not have the hottest releases as soon as Netflix, Prime, or Disney Plus, but it is free, which is a huge selling point with the ever-increasing streaming fees amid a cost of living crisis.’
There’s a diverse range of content to check out, from live channels covering news, sports, entertainment and kids’ TV to whole seasons of reality shows and sitcoms, movies across numerous genres and much more.
Much like other live TV channels, Pluto airs adverts during shows and films — the revenue from which makes the free service possible.
Pluto was acquired by Paramount in 2019, which allowed the streamer’s content library to grow.
Amy Kuessner, senior vice president of content partnerships for Pluto TV, previously told Forbes: ‘With the acquisition, the access to the content that we’ve been able to get from Paramount has just been a pivotal moment for us.
‘We have hundreds and hundreds of TV series, everything from NCIS to CSI to Love and Hip Hop to Basketball Wives and thousands of top-quality movies like The Godfather and the Indiana Jones franchise.’
You can also catch episodes of Gracepoint, a Broadchurch spin-off starring David Tennant, all seven seasons of cult Channel 4 show Skins, hit reality shows including Hell’s Kitchen, Catfish and Geordie Shore, plus 90s favourite Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
There are regular new additions to Pluto, but, in general, the service focuses on older or classic titles — making it perfect for fans of nostalgia.
Judging by the reviews, TV fans are delighted with the service.
On the Amazon Appstore, Fiorina gave Pluto five stars, writing: ‘Pluto TV is a game-changer in the world of streaming services. The fact that it’s completely free caught my attention, but the exceptional quality kept me hooked.’
Aiden added: ‘I was stunned by the amount of movies there are available and all free! I felt like I had walked into a DVD rental store…There are some fantastic titles available too, some even have the sequel and there are TV box sets for free!’
On Reddit, one user wrote of the free service: ‘I find it is great, if you want to watch older movies from the 80s and 90s, better than something like Netflix or Hulu.’
Another said: ‘I’ve been watching Pluto since its inception and have always enjoyed it.’
But others are frustrated by the platform’s limited offering.
One Reddit user wrote: ‘I like Pluto, but Pluto repeats a lot of the same movies, for months,’ while another simply said: ‘Nothing but ads and reruns’.
As many have pointed out, however, it’s a small price to pay for a service that’s totally free.
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