Transmissions from Pluto - Everything coming to Pluto TV in May 2024

 

The May edition of Transmissions from Pluto has landed in your inbox! In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month, we're rolling out movie marathons featuring beloved stars like Michelle Yeoh, Dwayne Johnson and Jackie Chan. We also have an anime-zing 100 hours of series and movies dedicated to the Japanese art form—or what we’re calling Ani-May! And that’s only scratching the surface. From boxing to poker to Formula 1, our new channels deliver the action. And they wouldn’t be possible without our programming team who share what goes into curating Pluto TV. For a sneak peek at all the excitement heading your way this May, dive into the latest edition of Transmissions from Pluto.

FAST FORWARD

At Pluto TV, we’re all about curating thoughtful channels and collections for the ultimate lean-back viewing experience. Our programming team leverages its expertise and love of entertainment to create channels that help audiences discover—and rediscover—entertainment that fuels their unique world of interests. We have Star Trek channels for Trekkies by Trekkies, true crime channels for amateur detectives and game show channels for Trebeks-in-training. Our programmers exist to help viewers find their orbit. This month, we sit down with Programming Manager Philip Yu and Senior Programming Manager Nikki Frangella, who play pivotal roles in shaping our content offering. A prominent voice in the Asian American community and founder and editor of Angry Asian Man, Philip helped curate our collection for AAPI Heritage Month. Nikki, who has been with Pluto TV since the very beginning, is behind Ani-May! What is your approach to programming? PY: I treat every block of programming as a mini film festival serving the channel's voice and audience. So on, say, Flicks of Fury, you'll have a night of Jet Li's greatest hits, followed by a night of action flicks that center Muay Thai, followed by a block of movies just featuring hella swords. It's really fun. NF: I approach programming by leveraging data insights to guide decision-making, complemented by my perspective as a passionate consumer. I analyze the data to validate hypotheses, enabling us to refine our strategies. Whether replicating successful scenarios or daring to innovate, my aim is to continually enhance our viewers' satisfaction and engagement. Which trends have you noticed viewers respond to? PY: What's been effective lately is nostalgic, tried-and-true franchises that the average user has presumably already seen many times over. That has driven the recent growth of a channel like 80s Rewind, thanks to iconic films like the original Rambo trilogy and the Beverly Hills Cop movies.  NF: Viewers thrive on content they're passionate about and our research indicates that extended blocks of their favorite programming significantly enhance viewer retention. Our strategy focuses on providing a continuous stream of beloved content throughout the day, resulting in heightened engagement levels. What are your picks for May? PY: May is AAPI Heritage Month, so I'm highlighting Asian American cinema with some indie favorites: Better Luck Tomorrow, Saving Face and The Motel. NF: Since Ani-May will be in full swing, I have to recommend both our Sailor Moon and Anime All Day channels. We have some exciting marathons coming throughout the month.

FAST APPROACHING

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month To pay tribute to AAPI Heritage Month, Pluto TV will feature films and television showcasing AAPI stars, creators and stories.  Pluto TV Icons Movie Marathons May 1 at 9 a.m. ET - Jackie Chan: Wheels on Meals, The Tuxedo, The Spy Next Door, The Prisoner, Operation Condor, Operation Condor 2, Project A2, Supercop, Rob-B-Hood, Skiptrace May 2 at 8 p.m. ET - Dwayne Johnson: Faster, Baywatch, Pain & Gain, Southland Tales May 4 at 8 p.m. ET - Dev Patel: The Last Airbender, The Man Who Knew Infinity, The Road Within May 5 at 8 p.m. ET - Michelle Yeoh: Supercop, Reign of Assassins, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy May 11 at 8 p.m. ET - Zhang Ziyi: House of Flying Daggers, Hero, Dangerous Liaisons May 12 at 8 p.m. ET - Maggie Q: Death of Me; King of Fighters; Three Kingdoms; New York, I Love You May 17 at 8 p.m. ET - Bruce Lee: The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Game of Death May 18 at 8 p.m. ET - Chow Yun Fat: Bulletproof Monk, The Replacement Killers, The Last Tycoon May 19 at 2 p.m. ET - Jet Li: Hero, The Warlords, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Contract Killer, Legend of the Red Dragon, Meltdown, Badges of Fury May 25 at 6 p.m. ET - Keanu Reeves: Point Break, Johnny Mnemonic, Siberia, Exposed, The Whole Truth May 26 at 5 p.m. ET - Tony Jaa: The Protector, The Protector 2, Ong Bak 3, Kill Zone 2, Paradox May 31 at 8 p.m. ET - Ang Lee: The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Ani-May This month, we're spotlighting our Anime category and dubbing it Ani-May! We’re unleashing more than 100 hours of anime content across the spectrum. Dive into beloved series like Kyo Kara Maoh! and Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier, along with Mononoke! Plus, stay tuned for special marathon events sprinkled throughout the month, promising endless excitement and entertainment! Anime All Day will have marathons every weekend in May, featuring shows like Megalobox, Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold, HUNTERxHUNTER, Inuyasha and more! The channel will also feature special airings of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie and Yu-Gi-Oh: Bonds Beyond Time. The Sailor Moon channel will have Sailor Moon Classic marathons every weekend in May. The Yu-Gi-Oh channel will have special airings of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie and Yu-Gi-Oh: Bonds Beyond Time. The Lupin the 3rd channel channel will feature TV special movie marathons each weekend, including Dragon of Doom, The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure, The Secret of Twilight Gemini, Islands of Assassins, Tokyo Crisis, The Columbus Files, Missed by a Dollar and First Contact.

PREPPING FOR LAUNCH

Here are all the new channels and movies launching throughout May on Pluto TV. CHANNELS FanDuel TV Extra FanDuel TV Extra is your new home for live sports, professional poker action and betting insight. Watch and wager in real-time on horse racing, international basketball, soccer and much more. Make every moment more with FanDuel! Formula 1 Channel Formula 1 is a sport like no other and the Formula 1 Channel is the ultimate destination to catch up on all the action from F1, F2, F3 and F1 Academy races throughout the season, including analysis, replays and documentaries. Triton Poker  Dive into the world of high-stakes poker with Triton Poker, your window into the most prestigious poker series worldwide. Watch elite players in thrilling 24-hour action, with live coverage from every tournament throughout the year. Modern Marvels Presented by HISTORY Celebrate the ingenuity and imagination found in the world around us. 24/7 episodes of Modern Marvels, television's most innovative series. Top Rank Classics Top Rank Classics revisits classic and contemporary boxing matches, featuring icons such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Lenoard, Manny Pacquiao, Vasily Lomachenko, Tyson Fury and Shakur Stevenson. This is Boxing. This is Top Rank. DAZN Ringside  DAZN Ringside brings you the very best of boxing – the biggest fights of the year including selected live undercards, plus original feature-length documentaries, special short films and DAZN Boxing Show, featuring the biggest names in boxing. Million Dollar Listing Vault  Bravo's Million Dollar Listing vault has the best of luxury real estate, with all the deals and drama! Watch every season now! New Local News Channels  Pluto TV adds more channels from NBC News and Telemundo including NBC Philadelphia News, NBC Washington News, NBC San Diego News, NBC Chicago News, NBC New York News, NBC Dallas News, NBC Connecticut News, NBC Bay Area News, NBC South Florida News, NBC Los Angeles News, Telemundo Noticias Florida, Telemundo Noticias California and Telemundo Noticias Noreste.

MOVIES Addams Family Values The Addams Family All Souls Allied Almost Famous Animal Kingdom Apocalypto Atlantic City (1981) The Aviator The Back-Up Plan Bad Asses Bad Asses on the Bayou Baywatch Beavis and Butt-Head Do America Before I Go To Sleep Best of the Best Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Boondock Saints The Brady Bunch Movie A Very Brady Sequel Brotherhood of the Wolf Chasing Amy Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Director's Cut) Daddy's Home Daddy's Home 2 Dark Crystal Dead Ringers Double Jeopardy (1999) El Mariachi Ella Enchanted Empire Records Eurotrip Event Horizon Failure to Launch Faster Forces of Nature The Golden Child Good Burger Higher Learning House of Flying Daggers Hudson Hawk Hyena Road I Know What You Did Last Summer I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Jawbreaker Jersey Girl Johnny Mnemonic The King of Comedy Kung Fu Hustle Labyrinth Look Who's Talking Machine Gun PreacherMiles Ahead Mother (1996) One False Move Pain & Gain Payback Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Predestination Premium Rush The Quick and the Dead The Raid 2 Real Genius The Replacement Killers Romper Stomper The Running Man S.W.A.T.: Firefight Saving Face (2005) Saving Private Ryan The School of Rock Seabiscuit Showdown at the Grand Slackers Sniper (1993) So I Married an Axe Murderer Sonic The Hedgehog South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Southland Tales Spy Kids Spy Kids 2: The Island Of Lost Dreams Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Stand By Me Stephen King's Thinner Swingers The Defender The Firm The First Wives Club The Guilt Trip The Infiltrator The Name of the Rose The Prisoner The Raid: Redemption The Tailor of Panama The Thirteenth Floor Tigerland Trading Places Trainspotting The Truman Show We Were Soldiers Witness