The slate of channels in France comprises Pluto TV Ciné, Pluto TV Drama, Dossiers FBI, Pluto TV Crime, Tortue Ninja, People Are Awesome, Pluto TV Cuisine, Pluto TV Paranormal, Pluto TV Nature, iCarly, FailArmy, Pluto TV Kids Junior, Pluto TV Kids Animation, the Gaming TV channel and Pluto TV Extreme. The service will also boast popular French series including “Plus Belle La Vie,” “Les Cordier, Juge et flic” and “Louis La Brocante.”

Pluto TV’s movie library includes Hollywood classics such as “Staying Alive,” “Fighting Temptations” and “The Ring,” as well as action-packed films like “Snapdragon” and “Contract to Kill,” retro titles like “Highlander” and “Star Trek,” and “Save the Last Dance” and “La Source.” 

The kids’ programming includes “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Bubble Guppies,” “Dora the Explorer” and “Hey Arnold.” Factual content available on Pluto TV in France includes culinary shows such as “Epiceries fines” and “Sur la route des vins.”

Pluto TV, which doesn’t require a registration, is the first free ad-supported television service to launch in France and is now available on all major streaming devices via the Pluto TV browser, or via Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV, among others.

The service previously launched in the U.K., Germany, Spain, as well as 17 countries across Latin America. Pluto TV now boasts a presence across three continents and 24 countries with almost 36 million active users worldwide. The service is next planning to launch in Italy in late 2021.

Both parties remained tight-lipped about financial terms.

Pluto, the free, ad-supported service owned by ViacomCBS, has more than 20 million monthly viewers. Under the deal, it will have placement across Verizon’s wireless network, which is the largest in the U.S., as well as on its connected platforms like Stream TV and on its pay-TV service FiOS. Along with rival AT&T, Verizon has been emphasizing 5G technology via its Ultra WIdeband network, which the telecom giant says will be a vital backbone for streaming over the coming years.

Verizon has just shy of 116 million wireless customers, plus 4 million video subscribers on FiOS and another 6 million FiOS broadband customers.

Viacom paid $340 million to acquire Pluto in January 2019. At that time, it had about 12 million monthly active users. Backed by an expanded parent company after the late-2019 merger of Viacom and CBS, Pluto has increased its additions of new channels, which now number in the hundreds. The streaming service expects to end 2020 with more than 30 million monthly viewers.

An editorial team of curators at Pluto work to ensure that the branded channels it carries (AMC Networks just announced four new ones last week) do not interfere with existing carriage agreements with pay-TV operators. Channels, which are displayed in a linear-TV-like programming grid, are often geared toward show brands or characters, with recent ones centering on the James Bond franchise, The Walking Dead and MTV’s The Challenge.

Pluto has been gaining traction along with other leaders in ad-supported video on demand (AVOD). Along with Pluto, major AVOD players include Tubi, just acquired by Fox; Xumo, bought this year by Comcast; and Crackle, control of which transferred last year from Sony to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which just started rolling out on Comcast platforms, will include a free AVOD version along with subscription tiers when it launches nationally in July.

The deal comes close on the heels of a linear carriage agreement reached between Verizon and ViacomCBS for the programmer’s full portfolio.

Bob Bakish, CEO of Viacom, which in January agreed to acquire Pluto TV for $340 million, called launching Spanish-language channels a “compelling near-term opportunity”during an earnings call in February.

Several of the new ad supported Latino channels are aligned with existing Viacom channels, such as MTV Latino, Comedy Central Latino. There is also a Telemundo Telenovelas Clásicas channel from Comcast’s Spanish-language programmer Telemundo.

Additional channels featuring food, travel, competition and kinds are expected to be launched in the fall, the company said.

“We have always envisioned Pluto TV as a destination with global appeal, where diverse audiences can find and stream the entertainment they love, for free,” states Tom Ryan, CEO and co-founder, Pluto TV. “Pluto TV Latino was designed to bring premium streaming programming to an underserved OTT audience with cross-generational appeal. To be the first ad-supported streaming platform to offer an entire category dedicated to US Hispanic audiences is something we are incredibly proud of and furthers our mission to entertain the planet.”

Here are the initial channels available from Pluto TV Latino, as described by the company:

Pluto TV Cine Estelar: The best movies of all time are playing 24/7 exclusively on Pluto TV Cine Estelar. Titles include: Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Clueless, Failure to Launch, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Forrest Gump, Ghost, Mission: Impossible, Old School, Saving Private Ryan, Star Trek Beyond, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Top Gun, Zoolander.

Pluto TV Películas: Do you want big hits, fiery action, and crazy car chases? You've come to the right place. Pluto TV Películas has the biggest movies, dubbed in Spanish. Films include: 48 Hours, Down To Earth, Hugo, I Love You, Man, Jackass: The Movie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Nacho Libre, Patriot Games, Pretty in Pink, Shaft, Team America: World Police, Terms of Endearment, Top Five, Zodiac

Pluto TV Cine Latino: The Spanish-language movies that you love are playing 24/7 on Pluto TV Cine Latino. Upcoming Programming Includes: Aventurera, El Cielo En Tu Mirada, En la punta de mi cañon, Morgana, Abre Los Ojos, Sin Memoria and The Baby’s Room

Comedy Central Latino: If it's funny, it's on Comedy Central Latino. Laugh along with great Latin standups like El Diablito, Isaac Salame and Alejandra Ley along with hilarious series like La Culpa es de Cortés and Bar Central. Upcoming programming includes: Se Busca Comediante, Stand Up México, Stand Up Argentina, Stand Up Colombia, La Culpa Es De Cortes, La Culpa Es De Llorente, La Culpa Es De Colón, and La Familia Del Barrio.

Pluto TV Investiga: Riveting tales of true crime will keep you up all night. Grab your flashlight and magnifying glass, and join us as we investigate murders, kidnappings and other sordid affairs on Pluto TV Investiga. Upcoming programming includes: The FBI Files and The New Detectives.

Pluto TV Novelas: Catch all the drama and romance that only novelas can provide. The most memorable novelas from Argentina and Colombia, featuring binge-worthy hits Los Hombres También Lloran and Amar Después de Amar.

Telemundo Telenovelas Clásicas: Telemundo Telenovelas Clásicas is your destination for the best dramas, romantic comedies and popular telenovelas. Your favorite Hispanic stars along with the series you can't forget. Upcoming Programming Includes: Flor Salvaje and Relaciones Peligrosas.

MTV Latino: The best of MTV Latino, featuring wild reality TV shows like Acapulco Shore, Catfish, Are You The One? and Ex On The Beach, specifically for our Latin American audience, plus iconic Latin Unplugged concerts, all in Spanish. These are the best reality and competition shows, completely unfiltered, uncut and uncensored. Upcoming programming includes: Unplugges: Emmanuel, Catfish Colombia, Catfish México and Quiero Mis Quinces.

Pluto TV Brasil: Watch original series from MTV Brasil, Comedy Central Brasil and Porta dos Fundos. Check out standup comedy, reality TV shows and more, all in 100% Brazilian Portuguese. Upcoming programming includes: A Culpa Do Cabral, Adotada, Papito in Love, Grande Gonzalez, Catfish Brasil and De Férias com o Ex Brasil.

Combate World: Combate World is the destination for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) content. Featuring world championship level events, reality television and lifestyle programming, the Combate Americas franchise is the leader in Hispanic Sports and MMA.

Lucha Libre: Watch 24/7 high-octane Mexican wrestling on Lucha Libre AAA. Colorful masks, high-flying moves, and international excitement are coming at you hard and fast on this wild and exciting channel.

“At Pluto TV we are devoted to developing the right environment for quality content,” said Olivier Jollet, Pluto TV’s managing director for Europe. “Independent films create worlds filled with boundless energy, provocative exploration, and unencumbered narratives, but often their reach to a wider audience is limited, while film enthusiasts struggle to find offerings customized to their preferences.”

Pluto TV Indies joins Pluto TV Movies as the second film-only channel on Pluto’s U.K. offering, which launched last October. Pluto says its advertising-funded, free-to-watch model creates a “custom-fit environment for cineastes to discover new favorites and creators to showcase their work.” The upcoming World Cinema channel will be dedicated to films from non-English-speaking markets.

“With our curated channels we are opening unknown doors to clear-cut niches,” Jollet said. “The linear model allows viewers to switch on a channel apt to their mood. This gives content creators an opportunity to showcase their work, as viewers decide by interest rather than names.”

The first U.K. distributor announced as a partner is British independent Signature Entertainment. “We are thrilled to partner with Pluto TV in the U.K.,” said Signature COO Jon Bourdillon. “The linear and thematic channels are an exciting new film consumption model, and we at Signature, across all genres of our output, see Pluto TV as a key partner going forward.”

Bourdillon said the prospect of putting a more diverse lineup of films into the spotlight “is a chance for creative works with lesser marketing budgets to reach out to a broader audience.”

The first films offered on Pluto’s Indies channel include Rachid Bouchareb’s “Two Men in Town,” starring Forest Whitaker and Harvey Keitel, which debuted in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in 2014, and Hal Hartley’s “Fay Grim,” the writer-director’s 2006 follow-up to his classic “Henry Fool,” starring Parker Posey and Jeff Goldblum.

Pluto’s move into the U.K. was first revealed to Variety last October as launching via Sky’s Now TV service as a free app for customers of Sky’s low-cost streaming service.

In January, Viacom acquired the Los Angeles-based Pluto for $340 million, with plans to run it as an independent subsidiary. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.