Is Pluto TV Free?
What Exactly is Pluto TV?
The first thing people should know about Pluto TV is that it's a legitimate service.
Users can get the Pluto TV app from the app store, and it's ready to use as soon as it finishes downloading though it can take a second to open up. Another thing some users worry about when they hear about Pluto TV is its legality. There are illegal and dangerous sites that stream movies and shows but Pluto TV is not one of them. These dangerous sites contain pop-ups that could try to phish information from folks.
Thankfully, Pluto TV is completely legal. Pluto TV is owned by ViacomCBS, which is one of the largest entertainment providers. At the moment, the streaming service has over 22 million users.
On-Demand Movies & Shows
Folks who get the Pluto TV free tv app gain access to more than 250 channels including live TV channels and movie channels. On these channels, they get to see television shows and an impressive amount of films. Folks can view on-demand TV shows and movies live through their on-demand feature as well as a few sports channels like the NFL Channel, PGA Tour & Fox Sports. That on-demand feature gives users access to the on-demand movies and shows at their convenience. The free content mix on Pluto TV is changed from time to time that keeps things fresh. Pluto TV also lets streamers know when a new show is added or when one is being removed.
The only real downside is like with most streaming services you cannot get some local live tv channels with Pluto TV and so you'll need to purchase a TV aerial if you want local live tv. You can still get CBS News, NBC News NOW & Sky News but these are NOT local news channels.
A lot of content is older, such as beloved classics, but the Pluto TV has newer titles that users might want to watch.
Pluto TV free streaming service launched in 2014 though it wasn't as varied as it is now. They did have a small amount of original content called "pluto tv channels" and no live tv at the time. The streaming service mostly offered videos that were on other free streaming services.
It's like Pluto TV curated legal free videos on other sites and put them under one roof. This made it a lot easier for folks to find all the legal free content out there rather than downloading several apps that take up space on a phone if you use their mobile application.
On top of that, browsing through library across many apps wasn't fun for users.
ViacomCBS purchased Pluto TV in 2019, and the content became much richer. After the purchase, users were able to enjoy content from popular live tv channels like MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, comedy central, reality shows and live sports channels. This helped the Pluto TV grow and reach more users.
Is Pluto TV a Completely Free Streaming Service?
As just mentioned, downloading Pluto TV isn't going to cost a thing. Unlike subscription streaming services like YouTube TV there are no hidden fees (or any fees) when it comes to Pluto TV.
If someone doesn't have a lot of space for apps, then this person might have trouble downloading the Pluto TV app. The good thing is that a person with a lack of space can simply remove apps they no longer use. Still, making space doesn't cost anything.
Some users will probably think that there's a catch like there are bound to be things that require purchase afterward. In-app purchases are quite popular amongst free apps. Surprisingly, that's another thing users don't have to worry about when they're watching Pluto TV. It works with all smart TVs including Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV & Roku devices.
Clearly, Pluto TV must be making money somehow. Nothing is free in this world, and it's true. Pluto TV may not charge users anything to use their streaming service, but that doesn't mean they aren't making a profit. The thing users have to accept if they're going to use Pluto TV is the endless amount of commercial breaks. It doesn't matter if you watched live tv or on-demand. Users still have to sit through numerous commercial breaks.
Folks who are making their initial transition from traditional television to online TV won't mind the advertisements. This is the way individuals have watched TV for ages.
Ads have been so commonplace amongst people that some of them became cultural milestones in their own right. People could talk to each other about a commercial they found hysterical.
The problem is that most seasoned streamers aren't used to advertisement. Seasoned streamers watch videos for hours without seeing a single ad. To those users, Pluto TV's ads are going to become annoying quickly. What's worse is these advertisements show up numerous times while users watch live tv.
Still, users can watch all sorts of cable-worthy videos here, like James Bond movies and maybe some retro television shows like Three's Company, just to name a few titles. There are countless others that users won't find on other streaming services, which makes Pluto TV a must for folks who want to cut entertainment costs but still want to enjoy quality TV and movies.
A Few More Issues to Point Out
Of course, ads might annoy some users, but there are other issues you might encounter when you watch pluto tv.
For one, sometimes, users who watch shows or movies on Pluto free streaming services have to watch the same advertisements play over and over again. While this could be more of a glitch, it seems to happen regularly. Watching tv advertisements is already annoying but having to watch the same commercial can be quite frustrating.
A lot of users know that they have to watch advertising while they watch their favorite movies or shows, so some users put the phone away or do something else so they don't have to sit through each advertisement. It would be nice if users could skip the commercial like YouTube, but unfortunately you can't. Pluto TV knows users leave the application and will play the commercial as soon as the user returns before returning to the movie or show the user is trying to watch.
Also, there are no DVR features whatsoever like modern cable tv so if you want DVR capabilities you'll need to purchase an external one.
Another problem some users encounter is glitches whenever a show or movie returns from a commercial break two times in a row. Users have to sit through commercials they don't want to sit through and deal with glitches as well.
This problem doesn't seem like something users will have to deal with forever. Developers can address the issues when they put out updates. The only thing users have to do is communicate the issue to the developers so that they can figure out how to reduce these glitches or eliminate them. Most users complain about this, but they also know they're using a free service, and those few glitches here and there are still better than paying a monthly fee to use some of the paid streaming services.
Some folks complain that the quality of the videos isn't all that great, especially with older movies and shows. Seasoned streamers know the media they stream online is delivered in some of the highest definitions available today. That's not the case with Pluto TV. The videos doesn't look great. It gives older videos a dated kind of charm, but it still bothers some users.
The users most bothered are the ones who use regular TV sets to stream Pluto TV. A lot of users like to download Pluto TV on their smartphones to watch TV on the go, but the streaming service can be used across multiple screens, including regular TVs. Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV are some devices that allow folks to watch Pluto TV on their TVs. Users who have large TV sets usually like to enjoy their media with the fullest resolution. Maybe Pluto TV will fix this issue at some point, but as mentioned earlier, this is a free platform.
Users who are looking for a free streaming solution now have one, and while it may have a few issues here and there, it's pretty good either way. The more users join, the more the platform will continue to improve, so there's no telling how good the platform will become given enough time. Hopefully, word of mouth along with strategically placed ads will help the platform continue to grow though it does seem inevitable, especially with the kind of quality content users have found or even discovered there.