Pluto TV Wins 5-Year Protection in Paramount-Warner Merger Decree
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Sep 21
Pluto TV Wins 5-Year Protection in Paramount-Warner Merger Decree
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Sep 21
Summary
A 5-year consent-decree provision requires the merged Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery company to keep a free, ad-supported streaming service under the Pluto TV brand or a substantially equivalent successor.
The decree also bars service deterioration, obligating the company to maintain quality and service levels at or above those in place when the settlement takes effect.
Pluto TV drew special protection because it is the only free streamer operated by either company, even as the broader merger terms focused more on U.S. production, newsroom independence and separate cable-fee negotiations.
Pluto accounts for about 1% of U.S. TV use, while Paramount+ and Pluto together reach roughly 2.2%, making the service meaningful but smaller than free-streaming rivals such as Tubi and the Roku Channel.