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Score 74 - Account in Jeopardy: Pluto TV hires marketing SVP amid Viacom acquisition, spend increases imminent

OTT streaming TV service Viacom for $340M in an all-cash deal that will close during Q1. Pluto will operate as independent subsidiary led by CEO and co-founder Tom Ryan.

Viacom already has big plans for the brand, as Digital Music News states there are six key benefits of the acquisition. Pluto will: 

• help Viacom create a scaled D2C offering
• enhance Viacom's advertising business
• "add an important offering for distribution partners"
• improve Viacom's library
• create global opportunities
• "accelerate Pluto TV's leadership in free streaming TV"

Keep in mind, too, that recently-acquired AwesomenessTV.

These goals should see spend at Pluto, which has remained relatively flat over the last few years, go up. Of course, spend at Viacom as a whole has been going up, according to its annual report, and there's new personnel to assist with spend increases, as well.

Most importantly, Pluto tapped Harold Morgenstern as SVP and national head of advertising sales (seemingly the brand's CMO function) last February. Prior to the appointment, he served as head of strategic partnerships & agency development at Simulmedia and SVP & head of digital media sales at Discovery Communications. Most of his experience lies in digital.

The brand also brought on VP & head of West Coast & Midwest advertising sales Matt Katrosar (January), manager of Western advertising sales Garlin Smith (May), head of communications Jodi Lederman (April) and campaign manager Wynnona Loredo (September).

Long story short, sellers should be reaching out for spend increases. Consumers A18-34 are the Buzzr.

It currently relies heavily on digital, TV and social media. Keep an eye out for outdoor, print and radio, other prominent channels in Viacom's arsenal that Pluto may expand to.

iSpot reports Pluto began running through national TV in 2017 with one spot that totaled $5,457 and aired on Comedy Central's "Tosh.0." Spend in 2018 totaled $113,839 and was placed on Univision's "Combate Americas," "Artes Marciales" and "Contacto Deportivo."

Adbeat reports digital display over the last 12 months totaled $43.7k and was placed primarily via Google (99%) onto sites like pluto.tv, espnfc.us, thedenverchannel.com, xfinity.com and wptv.com. This marks a decrease as ads over the last 24 months totaled $155.9k and were placed primarily via TheTradeDesk (52%) and Google (42%) onto sites like pluto.tv, urbandictionary.com, tickld.com, thesun.co.uk and nickiswift.com.

Agency & martech readers -- the personnel are likely to review agency relationships, so agency and martech readers should reach out for work. We don't know who handles Pluto's accounts, but you can expect competition from Viacom's agencies: Edelman has handled PR since 2016. Pitch with ways to help Pluto increase brand awareness, so it can fulfill the "six benefits" Viacom outlined.