(Editor's note: PBR release)
LOS ANGELES - Pluto TV, the leading free streaming television service, and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization, have announced a new multifaceted partnership that will kick off by bringing PBR’s signature streaming service RidePass, and its stable of live events, talent and fans, to an all-new arena.
Beginning July 20, 2021, PBR RidePass will stream exclusively on Pluto TV, as both a linear channel and on-demand featuring hundreds of hours of live professional bull riding, rodeo, other western sporting events, and more. Additionally, Pluto TV will market its service to PBR fans, becoming one of the sport’s largest partners.
As the leading destination for fans of bull-riding and western sports content, the launch of PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will mark a transition from the digital network’s origin as a subscription-based streaming service to an ad-supported streaming channel. With a growing audience of over 50 million global users on Pluto TV, the PBR RidePass channel will super serve western sports fans by providing them with front-row streaming access, for free, to fan-favorite western sports content. Programming includes PBR’s Unleash The Beast and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, marquee rodeos including WCRA Triple Crown, Indian National Finals Rodeo, Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, and National High School Rodeo Finals, premier horse and equestrian events, including “Road to the Horse,” highlight shows, and western sports shoulder programming.
The first marquee rodeo to be carried live on Pluto TV is Days of 47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo on July 20-24 from Utah Fair State Park with all five rounds of competition free on Pluto TV.
“This new relationship with Pluto TV allows PBR to super serve fans with hundreds of events and thousands of hours of great western sports programming now available for free,” said Sean Gleason, Commissioner and CEO, PBR. “With PBR’s linear and streaming live event content all within the ViacomCBS family through CBS and Pluto TV, we will benefit from tremendous synergies to grow this first-of-its-kind sports network.”
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV represents an expansion of the FAST leader’s growing footprint in live sports and events programming, building on Pluto TV’s existing appointment viewing for franchises and iconic sporting events. This marks a first-of-its-kind deal for Pluto TV bringing education and amplified brand awareness via in-event marketing and broadcast television promotion and activations as an official PBR partner. As the streaming sector continues to expand, with more and more new entrants joining the space to provide a variety of offerings, this partnership demonstrates a new paradigm for niche streaming services and broader platforms to work together. Albeit across screens or in stadiums, this symbiotic relationship provides a mutual vehicle to speak to, and engage with, brand-new audiences while collaboratively growing user bases.
“Pluto TV is excited to be the new exclusive home for PBR RidePass, our first dedicated live sports and lifestyle channel featuring PBR’s marquee lineup of live rodeos, bull-riding and western sports. We are the perfect destination to entertain PBR’s vast and loyal fanbase and are proud to be able to deliver this best-in-sport streaming content, for free, for the very first time,” states Tom Ryan, CEO and President ViacomCBS Streaming. “We welcome the challenge to partner and build upon the successful foundation PBR established with RidePass by adding our own expertise in live, ad-supported streaming.”
PBR RidePass, which was launched in February 2018, bringing to fans live coverage of PBR’s tours as well as dozens of rodeo and western sports events, complements Pluto TV’s lineup of western-themed programming including the Western TV channel which streams series like The Lone Ranger and Walker Texas Ranger as well as a dedicated movie channel, Pluto TV Westerns, featuring iconic films like True Grit, Geronimo: An American Legend, and The Alamo. Earlier this month, Pluto TV launched an exclusive dedicated channel to Steve McQueen’s Wanted: Dead or Alive.
Stream PBR RidePass, beginning July 20, 2021, on Pluto TV. Pluto TV is available on all mobile, web and connected TV streaming devices.
