Pluto TV scores Al Jazeera English for online viewing
Pluto TV is adding Al Jazeera English, the Qatar-based news channel, to its internet-delivery orbit.
Al Jazeera English had aired in the US both online and on TV but was replaced by Al Jazeera America, which ultimately failed and shut down on April 30 last year.
Also joining the service are CNBC, MSNBC, Sky News, Bloomberg Television and The Young Turks.
LA-based Pluto, which has six million users, also added a host of content partners, including Warner Bros., Lionsgate and Yahoo.
Other channels en route include Kung Fu Movies, Horror 24/7, a documentary channel called Xive TV and a marijuana-themed network called THC.
The upstart Web TV outfit makes money by selling its own ads, much like cable operators insert local spots.
Pluto is run by executive chairman Ken Parks, the ex-content chief at Spotify, the music streamer.
The fast-growing company, backed by Britain’s Sky among others, recently hired Robert Magdlen, the former senior vice president of program strategy and acquisitions at NBC Universal’s E! Entertainment — as its first chief programming officer.