PBR RidePass Now Free on Pluto TV PBR Fans,
A message from PBR Commissioner Sean Gleason
As you know, RidePass has now become a free service, moving to the Pluto TV platform. I want to explain the reasons for the switch and clear up some misinformation.
First, you must understand that RidePass as a subscription service was unsustainable. Tens of thousands of you supported RidePass, but we needed hundreds of thousands of subscribers to cover the costs of providing the service. This reality was a change in the digital media landscape rather than an indictment of RidePass. When we launched the service, the world was moving toward stand-alone subscription services like RidePass. That changed over the last three years, and you, the consumer, reset the expectations that services like RidePass should be free and aggregated with other content. We faced a difficult challenge: shut down RidePass altogether or find a new home for it. Thank goodness for Pluto TV and their belief in PBR and all things western sports. We were able to migrate RidePass to a free platform and expand the scope exponentially to deliver more content than has ever been available to our fans and western sports consumers. We found a home for RidePass that provided a solid future, aligned with very complicated media rights issues, and would best benefit our fans. Since launching PBR RidePass on Pluto TV, one inaccuracy being floated on social media suggests that PBR has taken away access to live coverage of PBR’s Unleash The Beast events. That is categorically untrue. Every Unleash The Beast performance has been broadcast live or on short delay on CBS or CBS Sports Network, starting with the PBR Last Cowboy Standing event from Cheyenne, WY. Further, every Unleash The Beast Series round will continue to be broadcast live or on short delay on CBS or CBS Sports Network through Ft. Worth at the end of August. We also see complaints from some in the U.S. regarding access to CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network is available to more than 100 million households in the U.S. Roughly 60 million households already have CBS Sports Network in their home today. We don’t decide what local cable providers offer to their customers, neither does CBS Sports Network. We ask that you direct your comments to your local cable provider since PBR has no input into their channel packaging decisions. Other options are to get CBS Sports Network through services like satellite TV providers, Hulu, FuboTV, or YouTube TV. There are widely available alternatives to your traditional cable provider for as low as $65/mo that offer hundreds of channels including CBS Sports Network. Moving forward, all rounds of the PBR Unleash The Beast series that are not scheduled to be broadcast on CBS or CBS Sports 24
Network will now be broadcast LIVE on PBR RidePass on Pluto TV with the same worldclass production of our televised events. This solution should satisfy U.S. fans who have been demanding coverage of all rounds from every PBR Unleash The Beast event. Between CBS, CBS Sports Network, and RidePass on Pluto TV, every single ride from every PBR Unleash The Beast event is available to every domestic fan on a live or short delay basis. Not to mention we have made available hundreds of hours of additional live coverage from the Velocity Tour, rodeos, and other western sports events. And if you haven’t checked out RidePass on Pluto TV, we are also broadcasting hundreds of hours of archival footage that no one has seen for as many as 28 years. It’s a fantastic channel for any fan of PBR and western sports. I have heard from some that they appreciated the video-ondemand access to past events that we offered via RidePass. First, the new PBR RidePass on PlutoTV is airing the prior week’s broadcasts multiple times throughout each week in different dayparts to ensure fans have access to PBR content on a timely basis. Additionally, video-on-demand is a feature available on Pluto TV and the content is beginning to populate. Simply go to Pluto TV, click On Demand and search for PBR RidePass. You will find dozens of programs currently available, with more being added every day. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we implement these positive changes and manage the logistic and technical challenges. We are working on solutions for our international fans as well. As a general rule, Pluto TV has only had rights to the U.S. territory for most of the channels it offers. We are confident we will have positive news to announce in the coming months about international access to PBR RidePass on Pluto TV – another first driven by PBR’s desire to serve all fans. Fans outside the U.S. should also let your local broadcasters know you want access to PBR content. The best solution would be for one of your domestic networks to broadcast PBR live or make it available digitally. We keep pushing for that opportunity but some local broadcasters suggest there is no demand for PBR content in your country. We know differently, so please make your voices heard with them! PBR coverage has never been more timely, more comprehensive, and easier to access. Your local cable provider may require you to upgrade your cable package for access to CBS Sports Network; that is outside our control and also not the case for most PBR fans. Every other major sports property offers limited free content to its fans and charges $300 to $500 a year if you want access to all coverage and/or VOD options. PBR continues to prioritize our fans and we are working diligently to make it available to you at no cost from the PBR. continued on page 26
SEPTEMBER 2021
