CTV Advertising Costs
Pluto TV Advertising: How to Advertise on Pluto TV
Pluto TV is free to watch and sold by Paramount. Here is how to buy it yourself from $500, what the targeting covers, and when a managed buy fits better.
By Timothy Lalonde · Updated September 2026 · CTV Advertising Costs
Quick answer
Pluto TV is Paramount's free, ad-supported streaming service. You can advertise on it yourself through Paramount Ads Manager, Paramount's self-serve tool, which starts at $500 per campaign and covers Pluto TV alongside Paramount+ and CBS. Pricing is CPM-based and, per Paramount, varies with your targeting. Pluto TV is also part of Screenbridge Reach's standard managed buy.
Key takeaways
- Pluto TV is Paramount's free, ad-supported streaming service, with live channels as well as on-demand titles.
- You buy it self-serve through Paramount Ads Manager: campaigns from $500, up to $260,000 each, covering Pluto TV, Paramount+, CBS and Paramount's cable networks.
- Pricing is CPM-based, and the tool generates the CPM from the targeting you choose.
- Paramount's free Creative Express tool builds an ad from your website in minutes, so you don't need a finished spot to start.
- Pluto TV is part of Screenbridge Reach's standard buy, with no minimum spend and creative included on packages from $10,000 a month.
On this page
How Advertising on Pluto TV Works
Pluto TV is Paramount's free, ad-supported streaming service: viewers don't pay, and ads fund it. It's built around live channels as well as on-demand titles, which makes it feel closer to channel-flipping than most streaming services. Paramount describes it as "broad, brand-safe reach."
Paramount sells Pluto TV's ad inventory, and the self-serve route is Paramount Ads Manager. The same account covers Pluto TV, Paramount+, CBS and Paramount's cable networks. Campaigns start at $500 and run up to $260,000 per campaign.
Pluto TV, Paramount+ or Tubi?
Pluto TV and Paramount+ come from the same company and the same tool, but they're different audiences: Paramount+ is a subscription service, and Pluto TV is free. If you want Paramount's audience broadly, one Paramount Ads Manager campaign can cover both.
The closest comparison is Tubi, Fox's free service. Both are free and ad-supported, so both reach viewers watching without a subscription. The practical difference is how you buy them: Pluto TV through Paramount Ads Manager, Tubi self-serve through Universal Ads.
Targeting Options
Paramount Ads Manager lets you narrow a Pluto TV campaign by:
- Location: national, state, DMA or zip code.
- Demographics: age, gender and household income.
- Interests and behaviors: lifestyle, habits and behaviors.
- Content placement: genres such as sports, entertainment, news and movies.
What Advertising on Pluto TV Costs
The entry point is $500 per campaign. Pricing is by CPM, cost per thousand impressions, and Paramount says the CPM "is generated based on your selected targeting," so the tool gives you the number for your own campaign rather than a published rate.
Free, ad-supported services generally price below subscription services, and a lower CPM on a large free service isn't the low-attention warning it would be on an unknown app. For what a monthly budget buys across services, see our full CTV advertising cost breakdown.
The Creative Question
You don't need a finished ad to start. Paramount Ads Manager includes Creative Express, a free tool Paramount describes as AI-powered, which builds an ad from your website URL in minutes. Creative Plus, a managed creative service, becomes available once you reach Paramount's minimum monthly spend thresholds.
That's a practical way to run a first test. A managed buy is for the next step: choosing which of your proven videos to build from, testing several versions against each other, and running them across more than Paramount's properties.
When Paramount's Self-Serve Is the Right Call
Use Paramount Ads Manager directly for Pluto TV if:
- You're testing on a small budget. A $500 campaign on a large free service is a low-risk way to learn whether TV works for your brand.
- Paramount's audience is the goal, and one account covering Pluto TV, Paramount+ and CBS is enough.
- An ad built from your website is good enough to start with, or you already have a TV-ready spot.
- Your team has time to set the targeting and watch the results.
No commitment required. No production budget needed. Just a conversation.
Not ready to talk?
Pluto TV in a Multi-Platform Plan
Pluto TV is part of Screenbridge Reach's standard buy, alongside Tubi, Paramount+, Hulu, The Roku Channel and Samsung TV+, so one campaign can reach viewers on free and subscription services together. Screenbridge Reach has no minimum spend: budgets start from $50 a day, and on packages from $10,000 a month we build your ad from the UGC and social ads you already have.
See how that works in what a CTV advertising agency does.
The results below come from CTV campaigns running creative Screenbridge built from content each brand already had, such as Carve's behind-the-scenes iPhone footage. They are client outcomes, not category averages.
Pluto TV Through Paramount Ads Manager vs. Screenbridge Reach
| Paramount Ads Manager (self-serve) | Screenbridge Reach (managed) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | $500 per campaign, up to $260,000 per campaign | No minimum; from $50 a day. Creative included from $10,000 a month in media |
| Creative | Free AI-powered tool builds an ad from your website; managed creative at minimum monthly spend thresholds | Built from your existing UGC and social ads; included on packages from $10,000 a month |
| Platforms reached | Pluto TV, Paramount+, CBS and Paramount's cable networks | Pluto TV plus Tubi, Paramount+, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV+ and more |
| Pricing | CPM, generated from your targeting | Suggested packages from $10,000 a month, or a custom package around your budget |
| Who runs the campaign | You: targeting and changes are on your team | Screenbridge Reach manages the buy |
Past a first Pluto TV test?
Book a free call. We'll tell you honestly whether to keep testing on Paramount's tool or move to one managed plan across streaming.
Not ready to talk?
Frequently asked questions
Written by
Co-Founder, CMO, and Head of Media Strategy
Timothy Lalonde is Co-Founder, CMO, and Head of Media Strategy at Screenbridge Reach, a CTV ad management service that pairs media buying with premium creative production for DTC brands. Drawing on a decade of creative production work for DTC and CPG brands, he develops media strategy for every client campaign and prefers plain numbers over vendor talk when explaining what actually moves performance.
Related reading
CTV Advertising Costs
CTV Advertising Cost: What Your Monthly Budget Actually Buys
CTV advertising has two main costs. The first is media: the ad time itself, priced by CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions), which runs $25–$60 on premium streaming services. The second is making the ad, which traditionally costs $15K–$80K per spot before your campaign even starts.
CTV Advertising Costs
Roku Advertising Cost: What Roku's Self-Serve Ads Actually Cost
Roku publishes its entry price but not its CPMs. Here is what the $500 buys, what it doesn't, and when a managed buy makes more sense.
CTV Advertising Costs
Hulu Advertising Cost: What Disney Publishes, and What It Doesn't
Disney publishes one number, a $500 minimum per self-serve campaign. There's no price list and no CPM. Here is what the market reports, what self-serve buys, and when it's the right call.
CTV Advertising Costs
Peacock Advertising: How to Advertise on Peacock, and What It Takes
NBCUniversal sells Peacock ads directly and through a self-serve tool. Here is how each route works, what the formats are, and where a managed buy fits.
CTV Advertising Costs
Tubi Advertising: How to Advertise on Tubi, and What It Costs
Tubi is one of the easiest streaming services to start on: self-serve from $100. Here is how each route works and when a managed buy makes more sense.
Ready to launch on Connected TV?
A free strategy call. We'll map media, creative, and measurement to your goals.
Not ready to talk?