Does Pluto TV Have Ads
Yes Pluto TV has ads. For an average of 30 minutes of content on Pluto TV, you get about 4 commercial breaks with about 6 ads across them. What’s more annoying is that sometimes, at the end of the break, you get an extra 10 seconds of nothing but We Will Be Right Back. Most users are aware of this catch of watching Pluto TV for free but you may still want to find a way to avoid the ads anyway. And, we have written this article to help you find easy ways to skip or avoid commercials on Pluto TV without missing anything significant on the program you are watching.
How Many Ads Does Pluto TV Have
For an average of 30 minutes of content on Pluto TV, you get about 4 commercial breaks with about 6 ads across them.
Can You Get Pluto TV Without Commercials
Pluto TV, unlike most other mainstream streaming services, does not offer a paid subscription version. You do not need to enter any credit card details on Pluto TV. You could decide to sign up for free if you want to enjoy the perks of:
Setting your favorite channels Resuming on-demand movies across your devices Using your smartphone as a remote control on Pluto TV Hiding channels Update notifications on new services, channels, and line-up changes
Signing up does not remove or even reduce the ads and commercial breaks on Pluto TV. You only get access to the extra features listed above. However, because you do not need to enter any real personal information, there is little reason why you should not sign up for Pluto TV to enjoy the benefits. To sign up for Pluto TV:
- Go to the Pluto TV website.
- Click on Sign Up
- Enter your first name, email address, desired password, and date of birth
- Select Sign Up Free After signing up, you will need to use the Sign In option when you want to watch on the devices that you own. There has been some news that Pluto TV is looking to introduce a paid subscription feature that allows users to watch programs without ads. However, because of the success, Pluto TV has had with its current model, they are reluctant to become like other popular streaming services and risk getting lost in the competition.
Can You Skip Pluto TV Ads
If you find the commercials on Pluto TV particularly annoying – and they can be – you may want to find ways to skip the ads without missing anything significant in the program you are watching or streaming. Yes, you can actually skip commercial breaks on Pluto TV, but Pluto TV is set up in such a way that skipping the ads would also mean skipping the equivalent time frame on the program you are watching. Some users find this an easy price to pay. If you don’t mind that, then read on to find out how to do it. There are also ways to avoid a good number of the commercials showing up at all, by using some apps and settings on your streaming device. For best results, you should use these solutions in combination rather than trying just one fix.
How to Watch Pluto TV Without Ads
1. Just Skip The 15 Seconds
If you do not want to get technical, and you don’t mind missing 15 seconds of the program you’re watching, you could simply skip the average 15 seconds that commercial breaks take. Some commercials take about 10 seconds so you could just skip for 10 seconds, and if it’s longer, the extra 5 seconds will do no harm. The idea is to miss as little as possible of the program you were watching or streaming. To skip commercials:
- Watch for when the countdown to commercials starts
- Pause the program at that point
- Skip ahead 15 seconds and then play
2. Use Brave Browser
Brave browser blocks ads from EVERY website by default. You do not even need to make any changes or adjustments on the browser to achieve this. It also blocks trackers, cookies, and ads that follow you across devices. This makes Brave an ideal tool for skipping ads on Pluto TV. However, you should know that some of the ads on Pluto TV are streamed alongside the program you are watching, so Brave will not stop all of the ads on Pluto. This is why we have advised that you use the fixes in this article in combination. To download and install Brave browser:
- Head over to the Brave website to download the installer
- Open the installer and let it download the Brave browser
- When the browser finishes downloading and installing, it will open a new page
- On the browser, click on the Menu bar (3 horizontal lines at the top right of the browser)
- Select Brave Ad Block
- Under Additional Filters, select the filters that apply to your location. This is will provide additional ad block features on your browser After setting Brave browser up, go to the Pluto TV website, sign in and start watching programs on the Brave browser.
3. Enable SponsorBlock Extension
SponsorBlock is an extension that allows you to block ads on YouTube and YouTube-based apps. The extension also blocks ads on Pluto that are linked to YouTube, thereby further reducing the ads that you encounter on Pluto TV. To get SponsorBlock:
- On the Brave browser (you can do this on Chrome or Firefox, too)
- Click on the Menu bar (3 horizontal lines at the top right of the browser)
- Select Extensions
- Click on the Search icon on the top right and enter SponsorBlock
- You will be told that no results were found. Click on the Web Store link
- On the page that opens, in the search bar, enter SponsorBlock and select it from the results
- When the SponsorBlock page opens, select Add to Brave (or whatever browser you are using)
- Select Add Extension to confirm
- You will be redirected to the SponsorBlock customization page
- Leave the defaults as they are and close the tab
4. Set Up Pi-hole (Linux)
Pi-hole is a service that blocks ads on your network. That is, instead of blocking ads on the device level, it blocks ads on the network by filtering the traffic that comes from ad servers. Again, this will only work for external ads on Pluto TV and not on embedded ads. However, it has significantly reduced the number of commercials that users get on Pluto TV. To use Pi-hole, you simply have to set up your router to use the Pi-hole DNS servers. The method to do this depends on the brand of router you are using. But, the method is generally the same. We are going to use the TP-Link router in this example:
- Connect your PC to your WIFI router
- Open a browser on your PC and enter http://tplinkwifi.net or http://192.168.0.1 in the address bar, and click Enter
- Enter admin as both username and password. All must be in lower case
- Click on the Advanced tab
- Click on Network
- Click on DHCP Server
- In the Primary DNS, enter the Pi-hole DNS
- Do not enter any DNS as a secondary DNS Note: Please note that Pi-hole is Linux-based and can be run only on these operating systems: On Smart TV, Edit DNS: If you are watching Pluto TV on your smart TV, you might notice that the ads are even more frequent. There is a way to block ads on Pluto TV and in fact any other steaming app on your TV. However, there is a downside to this:
You will not be able to pause the video you are streaming You will not be able to rewind the video you are watching
If you are willing to make these sacrifices, then follow the steps below to block ads on your smart TV On LG TV:
- Press the Home button on your remote control
- Select Settings
- Select All Settings
- Select Network
- Select WIFI
- Select Advanced WIFI Settings
- At DNS Server, enter 176.103.130.130 On Sony TV
- Press the Home button on the remote control
- Select Settings
- Select Network
- Select Network Settings
- Select Set up the Network Connection
- Select Custom/Expert
- Select your Wired/Wireless Setup and select your Wi-Fi
- Select Manual IP Address
- Enter Primary DNS 176.103.130.130
- Enter Secondary DNS as 176.103.130.130 or leave it blank
- Select No if asked if you want to use a proxy server
- Save and Ok On Samsung TV:
- Press the Home button on your remote control
- Select Settings
- Select Network
- Select Network Status
- Select IP Settings
- Select DNS Setting and select Enter Manually
- Enter the DNS as 176.103.130.130
- Select OK On Panasonic Smart TV:
- Go to Setup
- Select Player Settings
- Select Network
- Select Network Settings
- Select IP Address/DNS Settings
- Select DNS Auto Configuration and turn it OFF
- Enter the DNS server as 176.103.130.130 This IP address is one of several dedicated IP addresses that block ads on networks. You can also make these changes on your PC and phone. To change DNS on your PC or phone, please make sure you are not on a corporate network. This method should only be used in your home or private network. To change DNS on PC windows 10:
- Press the Start/Windows button on your PC
- Type Control Panel and select it from the results
- On the Control Panel window, click on View Network Status and Tasks
- Select the network you are connected to on the right side of the screen
- Select Properties (not Wireless Properties)
- Click on the body of Internet Protocol Version 4 (not in the checkbox beside it)
- Once it is highlighted in blue, click on Properties
- Select Use the Following DNS Server Addresses
- Enter 176.103.130.130 as the preferred DNS, and leave the alternate DNS blank
- Click Apply and OK To change DNS on MacBook:
- Click the Apple icon
- Select System Preferences
- Select Network
- Click on your WIFI and select Advanced
- Click on the DNS tab and click on the Add icon under DNS servers
- Enter 176.103.130.130
- Select OK To change DNS on an Android phone:
- Select Settings
- Select WIFI
- Select the arrow next to the WIFI you are connected to and open the settings
- At IP Settings, change DHCP to Static
- At DNS, enter 176.103.130.130 for both DNS servers To change DNS on iPhone:
- Select Settings
- Select WIFI
- Select the info icon next to the WIFI you are connected to and open the settings
- Select Configure DNS
- Select Manual
- Tap on the minus (-) sign next to the current DNS servers to delete them
- Select Add Server
- Enter 176.103.130.130 and save Also, you can use the AdGuard IP address which is 94.140.14.14 as the primary DNS and 94.140.15.15 as a secondary DNS address where applicable to achieve the same results. Once you have made these changes, you will have reduced ads on Pluto TV on your devices to the bare minimum, if not eliminated completely.
Why Does Pluto TV Have So Many Commercials?
Pluto TV generates revenue from the commercials it runs. The sponsors of the ads pay Pluto TV to air the ads on their platforms across devices. This is the only way (or at least a major way) that Pluto TV generates funds. Most other streaming and internet TV platforms generate revenue from the paid subscriptions by members. Some offer a free service with ads, and a paid one without ads. Pluto TV may continue to run this ad-driven model in the foreseeable future. So, if you want to avoid the commercials, you can use any or all of the solutions provided in this article.