BBC Studios Lands on Pluto TV in the U.S.
Internationally Renowned British Broadcaster Brings Nearly 1000 Episodes of BBC Original Programming and Classic Doctor Who and Antiques Road Show Signature Pop Up Channels To The Leading Free Streaming Television Service
Los Angeles, CA – BBC Studios and Pluto TV, today announced, a deal that brings BBC’s internationally recognized and iconic programming to Pluto TV in the U.S. The deal furthers Pluto TV’s mission to “entertain the planet,” by providing a slate of evergreen entertainment with global reach and American appeal. Select titles from the BBC Studios library will air across Pluto TV’s channel lineup and on-demand featuring acclaimed series including Being Erica, Bedlam, Primeval, Robin Hood, and more. The streamer also plans to launch two of their signature-style single-series Pop-Up channels with Classic Doctor Who and Antiques Roadshow.
Highlights of the free available programming include:
- Nearly 1,000 episodes of BBC Studios series, totaling over 700 hours of new programming
- A dedicated Classic Doctor Who pop-up channel with 200+ episodes of the beloved series
- 300+ episodes of Antiques Roadshow, with new content launching quarterly
- Episodes from memorable series such as Being Erica, Primeval, and Robin Hood, among others
“This new Pluto TV enterprise is appealing for us as we continue to attract new audiences through the creation of branded pop-up channels like Classic Doctor Who and Antiques Roadshow and expand on opportunities for existing fans to find their favorite shows to stream, in a unique way,” states Beth Clearfield, SVP, Digital Strategy and Franchise Business Management, BBC Studios – Americas.
The new programming and channel collaboration with BBC Studios will join Pluto TV’s 100+ live, linear, curated channels and thousands of movies on demand from nearly 150 major studios, networks, publishers and digital first outfits. BBC Studios content will launch on Pluto TV in May of 2019.
“Pluto TV is elated to be able to expand our range of programming by adding such an esteemed and regarded brand as the BBC,” says Amy Kuessner, SVP of Content Partnerships. “The BBC has long been a key international entertainment leader known for captivating audiences with content that transcends time. We are incredibly proud and eager to introduce BBC Studio’s evergreen content to Pluto TV audiences.”
An assortment of fan-favorite Classic Doctor Who stories starring Tom Baker (in The Deadly Assassin, The Ark in Space, The Robots of Death, and more), Peter Davison (in EarthShock, The Caves of Androzani), Jon Pertwee (in Planet of the Spiders, Terror of the Autons, and more), and the very first Doctor, William Hartnell (in The Dalek Invasion Of Earth) will be featured on Pluto TV’s Pop-Up channel.
About Pluto TV
Pluto TV, a Viacom Company, is the leading free streaming television service in America, delivering 100+ live and original channels and thousands of on-demand movies in partnership with major TV networks, movie studios, publishers, and digital media companies. Pluto TV is available on all mobile, web and connected TV streaming devices and millions of viewers tune in each month to watch premium news, TV shows, movies, sports, lifestyle, and trending digital series. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Pluto TV has offices in New York, Silicon Valley, Chicago and Berlin.
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Formed in April 2018 by the merger of BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries. BBC Studios’ award-winning British programs are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specialties. It has offices in 22 markets globally, including seven production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which makes over 2,500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector.
In the Americas, BBC Studios’ operates two production units – one in Los Angeles, responsible for ratings juggernaut and Emmy®-nominated Dancing with the Stars and multi-award-winning Life Below Zero, and the other in Brazil, where local productions Dancing Brasil and Bake Off Brasil have become breakout hits. The company manages joint venture relationships with AMC Networks for flagship channel BBC AMERICA (U.S.) – home of original series Killing Eve and global brands Dynasties, Doctor Who, and Top Gear – and with ITV for SVoD service BritBox (U.S./Canada), as well as strategic partnerships in Canada with Blue Ant Media for BBC Earth Channel and Corus for BBC Canada.