Star Trek: The Next Generation now has a dedicated channel on Pluto TV, ViacomCBS’s free ad-supported streaming service

Star Trek: The Next Generation now has its own dedicated channel on Pluto TV

If there’s one story in the Star Trek universe over the past year that’s been bubbling under the surface, and waiting to erupt, it’s got to be ViacomCBS’s free, ad-supported streaming service, Pluto TV. And now, the impossible has happened: Star Trek: The Next Generation has its own dedicated channel, bringing free Star Trek to cord cutters for the first time in a long time.

So who cares about Pluto TV, and why does it matter that it’s carrying Star Trek? Pluto TV is growing quickly, and it’s a service that sits neatly in one of ViacomCBS key initiatives after last year’s merger. The barrier to entry for Pluto TV is incredibly small: all you really need is a web browser. If you want, you can get a better experience with an app on your smart TV or set-top box. But the key here is that the service, and the app, is accessible nearly everywhere, including outside America. And while not all the content is available in every country (hello licensing deals), it is the same price to all viewers - free.

One of the stickiest criticisms of modern Star Trek is its relative inaccessibility. Arguments over whether historical Trek was similarly inaccessible aside, it is true that you can pretty much only watch Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks on services that require a paid subscription. That’s on CBS All Access, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. So while Pluto TV carrying Star Trek: The Next Generation does not directly address that inaccessibility, it does represent a significant step forward. Remember: when ViacomCBS merged, it promised focus on streaming services, and enhanced advertising opportunities. And right now, Pluto TV is the only ViacomCBS streaming service with global coverage (again, local distribution deals notwithstanding). From a purely technological perspective, getting shows onto Pluto TV is the fastest way to bring high-value, ad revenue-generating products to as many people worldwide as possible.

While it’s too early to suggest that one day we might see, say, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Pluto TV, it’s definitely still one to watch. And of course, you can do that today, right now: watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, streaming 24/7 on Pluto TV channel 110.