As 60 Minutes embarks on its 55th season on CBS, corporate sibling Pluto TV is launching a curated channel dedicated to the program.
Because Pluto is a free, ad-supported streaming service outside of the pay-TV bundle, don’t expect the latest first-run episodes on the new channel. Instead, it will offer an exclusive collection of more than 400 segments drawn from the archives.
Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, had signaled to staffers last June that the Pluto brand extension was in the works. While the move follows several others involving various CBS properties looking for extra visibility among Pluto’s nearly 70 million monthly active users, it is a fairly rare experiment for 60 Minutes. In 2020, the series teamed with short-lived mobile video purveyor Quibi on 60 in 6, a short-form spinoff. It did not survive after Quibi shut down after just a few months of operation.
Programming from 60 Minutes currently streams on the free, ad-supported CBS News Streaming Network. Years ago, the show had its own dedicated subscription streaming outlet, but that effort was eventually subsumed into larger SVODs CBS All Access and its successor, Paramount+.
At launch, the Pluto channel’s offerings will be drawn from 2008 through 2019, with plans calling for excerpts from additional seasons to join the lineup over time. Initial segments will include the first interview with a retired Navy SEAL who was part of the team that carried out the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound; a range of wildlife-focused reports; and the first interview with President-elect Trump after his election and a sit down with President-elect Obama.
The 60 Minutes channel on Pluto will be led by veteran news producer Nicole Young, who will continue to serve as a producer for the news magazine.
Viewers will be able to find the channel in Pluto’s News and Opinion category.