As it continues to integrate itself into the bowels of its reunited corporate soulmate, Viacom, CBS Interactive has begun to further populate the conglomerate’s prized AVOD platform, Pluto TV
Starting today, the free-to-consumer streaming platform will include three new CBS-branded channels: the 24-hour, Entertainment Tonight-themed ET Live, as well as news outlets CBSN New York and CBSN Los Angeles. Pluto TV had already launched channels branded around the flagship CBSN news asset, as well as tech-themed channel CNET, before Viacom purchased it.
“It's a win-win because it's greater distribution [for CBS content] and it's the top of the funnel, as we like to say. So it's really additive,” CBS acting CEO Joe Ianniello told investors Tuesday during CBS’ Q3 earnings call.
Related: Pluto TV Drills Down on Viacom Brands to Launch 13 New 'Pop-up' Channels
Viacom purchased Pluto TV for $340 million in January and has quickly transformed the ad-supported streaming platform as a global showcase for its brands.
This started in April, when the conglomerate announced that 13 of its cable channels, including Comedy Central, BET and Nickelodeon, would have dedicated channels on Pluto TV. These channels don’t include all the programming available to subscribers within the pay TV ecosystem. But they do include a sizable portion of episodes.
