Keeping current with shows in Paramount Global’s portfolio is getting a bit easier, as the company’s free streaming outlet Pluto TV is beginning to offer full previous seasons before their new seasons premiere on Paramount+.The initiative starts Thursday with Mike Judge’s Beavis & Butt-Head, with shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, iCarly, Queen of the Universe, Joe Pickett and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds following over the next few weeks and months. For 30 days, the full prior season of the series will be available during primetime programming on the service, on the Paramount+ Picks channel. Various other channels on Pluto will host special programming blocks across a wide variety of Pluto TV channels and on-demand. In addition, the new season’s premiere episode will be available on Pluto for one week following its debut on Paramount+.Pluto, which emphasizes live viewing, ended 2022 with 79 million monthly active users. It has been an early leader in the FAST sector and has also been used for synergistic purposes, creating dedicated channels for many Paramount properties and forging strong ties with CBS, the MTV networks and others as a way to respond to cord-cutting. Since joining the Viacom fold in 2019 ahead of its merger with CBS (and a subsequent rebrand to Paramount Global), Pluto has become an increasingly valuable piece of real estate for the company. It has sometimes streamed individual episodes from its pay-TV or subscription siblings as a way of converting free viewers to paying subscribers. But the latest initiative is breaking ground by offering entire seasons of shows about to debut behind the pay wall.“Paramount strives to deliver audiences a best-in-class streaming experience offering both free and paid options with Pluto TV and Paramount+,” said Amy Kuessner, EVP, Content Strategy and Global Partnerships, Paramount Streaming. “This new offering reinforces the power and synergy of Paramount’s funnel, both in fueling Pluto TV with popular, fan-favorite original series, as well as serving to promote, market and drive consumers to Paramount+.”
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