Pluto TV finished 2022 with almost 79 million monthly active users (MAUs), according to the latest numbers from Paramount Global. Unlike many other streaming services, Pluto TV is completely free. Not only doesn’t the service require a monthly subscription, but it doesn’t even require an account to be created.
Pluto TV is not the only free streaming service around, although it has proven to be one of the most popular. Another popular option is Tubi. Services like Pluto TV and Tubi are able to offset the usual costs of a subscription fee through a greater utilization of ads. A tradeoff which seems to be providing popular with viewers.
Pluto TV added 6.5 million monthly active users in the fourth quarter of 2022. According to Paramount Global’s Q4 and full year 2022 earnings report (PDF), this increased the total number of global MAUs to almost 79 million, up from Q3’s 72 million. Paramount attributed the increase in users to “growth in all markets and expansion into Canada.”
Compared to the year before, Pluto TV closed out 2021 as a whole with 64 million MAUs, resulting in an increase of close to 15 million in 2022. For reference, Pluto TV added 10 million MAUs in the fourth quarter of 2021, so the 6.5 million for the most recent quarter is not quite as impressive.
Still, at close to 80 million MAUs, Pluto TV is a major force within the free streaming space. Roku recently released its latest quarterly results confirming The Roku Channel reached homes totaling 100 million viewers. However, there is a major difference between The Roku Channel being available on a device that a home has access to and the number of monthly active users reported by Pluto TV.
In addition to the latest Pluto TV numbers, Paramount Global also released updated subscriber figures for Paramount Plus. Notably, the paid streaming service added 9.9 million subscribers in the fourth quarter taking the total to almost 56 million. The earnings call following the release of the quarterly results also confirmed that Paramount Plus will see a price increase later this year. The higher prices are expected to rollout when the new Paramount Plus with Showtime tier becomes available.
