Digital TV News: Pluto TV

Viacom and Virgin Media extend content partnership in multi-year agreement
Oct 7, 2019 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) and Virgin Media have agreed a distribution deal in the UK and Ireland spanning TV channels, on-demand rights and new streaming applications. Virgin Media will add My5, Pluto TV and MTV Play to the app section of its UI for the first time.
News categories: Virgin Media, Viacom, David Bouchier, Arran Tindall, Apps, Cable TV, Digital TV, Ireland, Set Top Box, UK

Facebook introduces Portal TV set-top box
Sep 18, 2019 – Facebook is expanding its Portal family of home video-calling devices with three new models: Portal, Portal Mini and Portal TV. Portal TV brings smart video-calling to the largest screen in the home.
News categories: Facebook, Australia, Canada, Digital TV, France, Italy, New Zealand, OTT, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Spain, Tablet, UK, USA

Amazon introduces second generation Fire TV Cube
Sep 4, 2019 – Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has announced a new Fire TV Cube. The streaming media player features far-field voice control built directly into the device and is now available for pre-order in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.
News categories: Amazon, Marc Whitten, Digital TV, Germany, India, Japan, OTT, Set Top Box, Smart Home, UK, USA

CBS and Viacom to combine
Aug 13, 2019 – CBS (NYSE: CBS.A, CBS) and Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB) have agreed to merge. The combined company, ViacomCBS, will be a global, multiplatform, premium content company, with the assets, capabilities and scale to be one of the most important content producers and providers in the world.
News categories: Viacom, CBS, Bob Bakish, Joe Ianniello, Shari Redstone, Digital TV, MnA, USA, Worldwide

Pluto TV arrives on Comcast Xfinity X1 set-tops
Jun 13, 2019 – Pluto TV has announced that it has launched on Comcast’s Xfinity X1. Pluto TV is already available to Comcast’s Internet-only customers who use the Xfinity Flex service. The launch expands Pluto TV's reach to millions more Comcast customers.
News categories: Pluto TV, Comcast, Tom Ryan, Apps, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, USA

Pluto TV coming to Cox Contour and Contour Stream Player
Jun 4, 2019 – Pluto TV and Cox Communications have announced that the Pluto TV app will soon be available to Contour and Contour Stream Player customers. The ad-supported platform offers more than 100 channels and thousands of hours of on-demand content.
News categories: Pluto TV, Cox Communications, Tom Ryan, Apps, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, USA

VIZIO announces SmartCast 3.0 smart TV experience rollout
May 21, 2019 – VIZIO has announced new features coming to VIZIO SmartCast 3.0, the latest iteration of its smart TV experience designed to bring users more of the entertainment they love, all in one place. The new updates and features will begin to roll out in the coming weeks.
News categories: VIZIO, Bill Baxter, Apps, Digital TV, OTT, Smart Home, Smart TV, USA, UX

Mediavision: Nordic AVOD viewing growing, local players gaining share
Jan 31, 2019 – According to Mediavision, AVOD viewing across the Nordics has grown considerably over the last couple of years. Incumbent actors, both broadcasters and other traditional media companies, are contributing through their ad-funded offerings.
News categories: Mediavision, Denmark, Digital TV, Finland, Market Research, Norway, OTT, Sweden

Viacom agrees to acquire Pluto TV
Jan 22, 2019 – Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pluto TV, the leading free streaming television service in the U.S., for $340 million in cash.
News categories: Viacom, Pluto TV, Bob Bakish, Tom Ryan, Digital TV, MnA, OTT, USA