Pluto TV is the free streaming service that lets you flip through hundreds of live channels without paying a cent. Its parent company has changed names twice in just over a year, so many viewers are unsure who is really behind it. The short answer is the Ellison family, working through a company called Skydance Corporation.
Who Owns Pluto TV in 2026?
Pluto TV is owned by Skydance Corporation, which was called Paramount Skydance until October 6, 2026. The company is the parent of Paramount and CBS, and Pluto TV sits inside its Direct-to-Consumer division next to Paramount+.
Pluto TV has no stock of its own. Skydance’s Class B shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange as SKYD, and the Ellison family and RedBird Capital hold all of the voting shares.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Approx. Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skydance Corporation (NYSE: SKYD) | Direct parent company | 100% of Pluto TV | Renamed from Paramount Skydance on October 6, 2026 |
| Ellison family | Controlling shareholder | Largest equity stake; ~77.5% of Class A votes | David Ellison leads the company; Larry Ellison is the main financial backer |
| RedBird Capital Partners | Controlling co-owner | ~13% equity; remaining Class A votes | Led by Gerry Cardinale |
| Public Investment Fund (Saudi Arabia) | Investor | ~15% equity | Joined through the Warner Bros. Discovery financing |
| L’IMAD (Abu Dhabi) | Investor | ~13% equity | Non-voting Class B shares |
| Qatar Investment Authority | Investor | ~11% equity | Non-voting Class B shares |
| Viacom | Former owner | Bought Pluto TV in 2019 | Paid $340 million in cash |
| Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin, Nick Grouf | Founders | Original owners | Started Pluto TV in 2013 |
Equity percentages are estimates from Wikipedia’s ownership summary and can shift as new shares are issued.
Who Controls Skydance?
Nobody can buy a piece of Pluto TV directly, so control runs through its parent. Skydance’s Class A shares carry every vote, and only the Ellison family and RedBird hold them. The public Class B shares are non-voting.
The Warner Bros. deal raised $47 billion in new equity at $12 per share. The Ellison family put in about $17 billion of that, Bloomberg reported via Yahoo Finance. Sovereign funds and LionTree also joined the investor group.
The Origin Story: A Free TV Experiment in Los Angeles
Pluto TV was co-founded in 2013 by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin, and Nick Grouf. Its beta launched on March 31, 2014, with a TV-style channel guide, and early backers included Universal Music Group and Sky, per Wikipedia.
The idea was simple. If people missed flipping channels, a free, ad-supported service could give them that feeling over the internet. That idea later became a whole industry called FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV).
How Viacom Became the Owner
On January 22, 2019, Viacom announced it would buy Pluto TV for $340 million in cash. The deal closed on March 4, 2019. Viacom soon merged with CBS and later became Paramount Global, and Pluto went along with each change.
Under that ownership, Pluto reached profitability in 2020 and passed $1 billion in annual revenue by 2021, according to Media Play News.
Skydance Takes Over, Then Warner Bros.
On August 7, 2025, Paramount Global merged with Skydance to form Paramount Skydance. Co-founder Tom Ryan left the company, and former Netflix executive Cindy Holland took over streaming.
The company then went after Warner Bros. Discovery. Netflix had agreed to buy it first, then backed out, and Paramount paid Netflix a $2.8 billion termination fee, per its quarterly filing.
The deal of about $110 billion closed on October 6, 2026, and the combined company took the name Skydance. Per the company’s announcement, it now holds Pluto TV, Paramount+, HBO Max, CBS, CNN, and TNT sports.
Will Pluto TV Survive the Merger?
Yes, and there is a legal guarantee. Under a settlement with 12 U.S. state attorneys general, Skydance must keep Pluto TV, or another free ad-supported service, running for five years, Broadband TV News reported.
Skydance also plans to merge HBO Max and Paramount+ into one paid service. Pluto’s free model is separate from that plan.
Who Runs Pluto TV Today?
Pluto TV is now run as a product inside the streaming division that Cindy Holland has led since the 2025 deal. Skydance is moving Pluto TV and Paramount+ onto one shared technology stack, as described in its second-quarter 2026 earnings release.
Cord Cutters News reported that a redesigned Pluto app would roll out gradually across phones, smart TVs, and streaming devices.
Pluto TV’s Size and Its Rivals
Pluto’s last publicly reported figure was about 80 million monthly active users. Ryan also said it works with roughly 400 content partners, per a Variety interview.
Its biggest free rival is Tubi, which has more than 100 million monthly users. On November 6, 2026, Fox closed its $22 billion Roku purchase, so Tubi and The Roku Channel now share an owner. Fox is controlled by Lachlan Murdoch, and Pluto also competes with the paid streaming services that dominate viewing time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Pluto TV in 2026?
Skydance Corporation, formerly Paramount Skydance, which is controlled by the Ellison family.
Q2. Is Pluto TV still owned by Paramount?
Yes, Paramount is now part of Skydance Corporation, renamed on October 6, 2026.
Q3. Who founded Pluto TV?
Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin, and Nick Grouf founded it in 2013.
Q4. How much did Viacom pay for Pluto TV?
Viacom paid $340 million in cash, and the deal closed on March 4, 2019.
Q5. Is Pluto TV free?
Yes, it is a free, ad-supported service with no subscription fee.
Q6. Will Pluto TV shut down after the Warner Bros. deal?
No, a settlement with 12 state attorneys general requires Skydance to keep a free ad-supported service for five years.
Q7. How many people use Pluto TV?
About 80 million monthly active users, the last figure Paramount reported publicly.
Q8. Who are Pluto TV’s biggest rivals?
Tubi and The Roku Channel, both now owned by Fox after the Roku deal closed on November 6, 2026.
Official website: pluto.tv
Pluto TV is owned by Skydance Corporation, controlled by the Ellison family and RedBird Capital. Viacom bought it for $340 million in 2019, Skydance inherited it in 2025, and the Warner Bros. Discovery deal closed on October 6, 2026.
Pluto TV stays free and ad-supported, and it is protected for five years by the state settlement. Its main rivals, Tubi and The Roku Channel, now sit under one owner too.