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With the acquisition of $ 340 million of the Pluto TV-funded streaming service, Viacom has added an important element to its transformation as an actor in the digital world. It is important to note that the company pursues a strategy very different from that of most of the major traditional Hollywood media companies.
Pluto is one of the largest types of online services that includes free, advertising-funded video programs from a variety of sources. Others include Tubi, Xumo, the Roku channel, and a planned service from Amazon that seems to largely echo what the Roku channel does for streaming devices and Amazon customers.
In announcing the deal, Viacom CEO and President Bob Bakish called it "a significant step forward in the evolution of Viacom. Pluto TV's unique and market-leading product, combined with Viacom's global brands, content, advertising capabilities and global reach, creates a great opportunity for consumers, partners and Viacom. "
An estimated 12 million monthly users of Pluto TV watch a wide variety of free content from dozens of sources. The acquisition marks a remarkable year for Viacom, which has pbaded a series of contracts to reposition itself well beyond its roots in cable television.
Previous acquisitions included the large marketing consulting firm WHOSAY for celebrities and influencers, the VidCon influence conference company and the online video studio AwesomenessTV. The company also led a $ 15 million strategic investment cycle in Pocket.watch, the online service specifically designed for children, which is now creating content for Viacom's Nickelodeon network.
There is great potential for new connections and cross promotion between Pluto's distribution platform and Awesomeness and Pocket.watch content, as well as Viacom's wired networks, combined with its sales capabilities. influencer ads and marketing.
Last month, I spoke with WHOSAY's founder and CEO, Steve Howe, about how the Viacom agreement had helped to supercharge WHOSAY's influence marketing work, allowing the promotion and the cross-pollination of the multitude of traditional cable channels, social media sites and ad sales teams. all that WHOSAY does for its corporate clients and the fleets of influencers and celebrities it works on.
Expect that the Pluto deal will redouble these opportunities, helping to propel the streaming world into a once-recalcitrant powerhouse of the bygone era of cable.
Importantly, with an advertising-funded aggregator located in Pluto, Viacom travels a territory that looks much more like he knows, selling wholesale content to a less-aware audience.
I'm less sure that some of the media competitors who are engaging in subscription-based video-on-demand are quite ready for a very different customer experience, different programming expectations, and the rest that accompanies this change. It's not that they can not understand it. It's just a very different matter.
And yes, just look at the losses related to the broadcast of about $ 1 billion that appeared in the balance sheet of Disney, Hulu and BAM.TV costing more than they report.
It is also possible that the Pluto case will solve even more headaches at CBS, cousin of the Viacom group, still bruised by a brutal year 2018 filled with wars by proxy, battles on the board of directors, ejection of Moonves for malpractice charges and an uncertain future.
The deal suggests that Bakish could shine more and more in the eyes of Shari Redstone, of which National Amusements holds majority stakes in Viacom and CBS.
As Viacom becomes increasingly digital-friendly, CBS shareholders and board members may be increasingly aware of Firestone's long-standing interest in merging the two. Regardless of the direction CBS is taking, Bakish is obviously not waiting at the altar for a wedding that may not be happening.
The agreement with Pluto TV marks another significant step beyond the past of Viacom's pay-TV. In doing so, Viacom badured its pay-TV partners that it was not planning to move away from distribution, but would offer Pluto as a complementary service they could offer to customers.
Pluto is one of the many free online video source sites in an accessible user interface, making it relatively easy to access a wide range of programs, including movies, news, sports and games. even more.
The content is free via the applications of most major streaming devices. Pluto has also made agreements with smart TV manufacturers, such as Vizio, to integrate its applications directly into their systems, a smart initiative that allows potential users to easily find the site.
In the coming wars that are holding the attention of viewers in an ocean of on-line video services that are multiplying, such a wired positioning will be invaluable. By exploiting its offers with all that Viacom offers more and more, one can obtain a huge gain in a complicated year.
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