• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, November 1, 2022

Paramount Global is adding 6,300 episodes of series from the CBS archives to Pluto TV.

The move will triple the CBS content on the free, ad-supported streaming service (FAST) by the end of the year. 

Several series will help expand Pluto TV’s 24/7 streaming channels. 

The original “Star Trek” series will get its own channel, alongside a “More Star Trek” channel featuring “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” A new Sitcom Legends channel will be anchored by “Cheers” and “Frasier”; a new Westerns TV channel will offer “Have Gun-Will Travel” and “The Wild, Wild West”; and a new Classic TV Comedy channel will feature “Petticoat Junction.” 

In addition, dozens of new series and new seasons of series, including “Matlock,” “Taxi” (shown), “Touched by an Angel,” and “Beverly Hills 90210,” will be added to Pluto TV's on-demand menu. 

Pluto TV also recently added dedicated channels for archival episodes of “60 Minutes,” “CSI: Miami” and “CSI: New York,” and added “NCIS” and “Criminal Minds” episodes. 

Paramount, then called Viacom, acquired Pluto TV in 2019, for $350 million. 

CBS has upped its number of channels from three to 40-plus over the past three years, and last year added the most recent four in-season episodes of CBS primetime series to Pluto TV. 

Pluto TV, which last year announced its revenue had reached $1 billion, made it into the top streaming destinations on Nielsen’s The Gauge for the first time in September, with a 1% share of total viewing. According to the FAST, CBS has been its largest driver of audience engagement and revenue. 

"Pluto TV and CBS are a great example of how having a BIG network and studio partnered closely with a FAST platform can supercharge our streaming ecosystem," stated George Cheeks, President and CEO, CBS. "Both of our teams are continually benefitting from insights and learnings around FAST programming performance to help define future strategies that benefit each of our businesses. The overwhelming success of the CSI and 48 Hours channels on Pluto TV are just two recent examples of how our broadcast franchises are connecting with a growing and often unduplicated streaming audience. We think we’re just getting started in how we can work together with Pluto TV for the benefit of our content and the company.”