Advanced Television

Pluto TV confirms Germany, Austria launch

December 4, 2018

Ad-funded provider of free linear OTT Pluto TV is continuing to gain traction in Europe: Following its successful entry into the British market, the streaming provider, which already reaches over 10 million people in the USA, is now also available in Germany and Austria.

Pluto TV suggests its experience is fundamentally different from other digital offerings. Instead of actively searching for the desired content in a catalogue of series and film offers, viewers can sit back and relax with Pluto TV. The Pluto TV channels are arranged according to subject areas. Viewers can select channels from the wide range catering to their fields of interest and follow the linear programme. The Pluto TV experience is breaking new ground in Europe and removes barriers to the world of OTT. Not only for viewers but also for advertisers as Pluto TV is free to use and ad-funded, offering highly visible advertising slots within the running programme.

Initially, the Pluto TV offering for the German-speaking market comprises fifteen channels, including curated Pluto TV Original Channels in German and English as well as licensed programmes from well-known media brands.

“Pluto TV is attracting millions of viewers in the US already,” noted Olivier Jollet, Managing Director Europe at Pluto TV. “The current timing of the launch of Pluto TV in Europe, especially in the German-speaking market, is ideal to harness the great potential for the distribution of linear video offerings via the Internet. It takes three or more subscription contracts for a single household to not miss anything in the OTT world, and users are increasingly losing interest in this. Pluto TV offers a free alternative and combines it with a unique lean-back experience. For advertisers, Pluto TV offers a high-quality environment in which the integration of advertising media into the current programme ensures above all viewability.”

The launch on the German speaking market is supervised by Pluto TV’s European headquarters in Berlin, Germany, with Jollet as Managing Director Europe, overseeing a team of experienced media executives. Pluto TV’s offer is initially available on Sky Deutschland’s flexible Sky Ticket TV Stick. Sky plc is an investor in Pluto TV and has held a stake in the Californian company since 2014.

“Our streaming service Sky Ticket is the perfect introduction to the world of Sky – easy, flexible and with contracts that are cancellable on a monthly basis,” suggested Manuel Kindervater, Vice President Partner Channels at Sky Deutschland. “In addition to the exclusive Sky programme, the Sky Ticket TV Stick provides users access to even more attractive content. Pluto TV is the best example for that.”

Pluto TV suggests its current offer on Sky Ticket represents a first step towards conquering the German-speaking market. The range of the offering is constantly expanded and refined and integration with other platforms is planned.

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