Pluto TV, Paramount’s free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service, is rolling out a new “Home” page on its app that spotlights curated content and personalized recommendations.
A Pluto spokesperson clarified to StreamTV Insider that Home is a section that can be accessed via the global navigation panel “and [it] is not the default screen.”
Returning Pluto users will see recommended programming based on their viewing habits, while new users can browse the section’s trending and “editorially-curated” suggestions. The more a user watches or marks content as favorites the more personalized content shows up on Home.
Beginning September 25, Pluto will debut Home as a phased rollout on select Roku devices. The upgraded interface will also launch on Android TV and Fire TV devices later this year.
In addition to curated and personalized content, the Home section will feature a carousel for recently watched, saved and favorited programming. Users can also browse a carousel that showcases both live and on-demand content – a feature Pluto said is “unique” to its platform.
“As the FAST landscape continues to evolve, so does our user experience around content discovery and personalization to seamlessly connect users to relevant programming,” said Tad Ro, SVP of product management at Pluto TV, in a statement.
Streamers and smart TV makers alike are doubling down on improving content discovery.
Vizio this summer began rolling out an updated smart TV home screen touting enhanced personalization. Whereas Amazon in the past year has tweaked the user interface for both Prime Video and Fire TV.
“The Home experience offers a unique display of rich sets of both Live and VOD content, even intermixing in the same carousels, and gives users more opportunity to find the content they are actively looking for, love to watch and soon-to-be new favorites within a single section,” Ro added.
Pluto TV is interesting in that it’s a FAST service but also has some ad-free content.
In April, Pluto announced a partnership with Walmart+, the retail giant’s subscription membership service. The deal allows Walmart+ members to watch up to six TV shows (one season each) ad-free.
Pluto TV reaches more than 80 million monthly active users across the globe, Paramount disclosed in April. Most recently, Paramount said global viewing hours on both Paramount+ and Pluto TV jumped 35% compared to a year ago.