- Nikki Frangella is a programming vet at Pluto TV, where channels are curated by humans.
- Frangella, an anime superfan, programs the anime, drama, and home and food categories.
- Here’s how Frangella brings her personal passions to the job.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with 31-year-old Nikki Frangella, based in Los Angeles, about her experiences as a programmer at Pluto TV. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I joined Pluto TV almost 10 and a half years ago, right after the company launched, as an intern studying TV and film writing at Emerson College.
Pluto’s a free, ad-supported streamer with an experience more like cable TV. There’s on-demand options, but people love the ability to flip through channels, which can take the stress out of deciding what to watch. There were about six people on the programming team when they brought me on full-time.
At first, programming was a completely new concept to me, but once I learned about the process, and began looking through content catalogs and assembling timelines, I went in 100%.
Today, I lead a team of five other programmers — though there’s 43 human programmers at Pluto TV. The team grew gradually after Pluto was acquired by Viacom in 2019. Early on, FAST was still this new idea and Viacom taking an interest in us showed that it could be the next big thing.
Both categories and channels are curated by humans. I oversee the anime, drama, and home and food categories. There are about 22 categories total and 350 different channels, so programmers have to wear multiple hats.
We collaborate with our content partnerships team to look through catalogs of current and potential partners to think about what might move the needle for our viewers. There are thousands of hours. It’s kind of like being a kid in a candy store — especially with the CBS library unlocking a couple of years ago, which allowed us to bring big shows like “Star Trek” and “NCIS” onto the platform.
Then, we build timelines, picking where to place shows and using data — such as how long someone spends on a channel — as a guide. Once everything is set, we can publish directly from our computers.
Data is an important part of the process. We work closely with our Business Insights team to analyze metrics across VOD and linear, including total viewing hours (TVH).
While we can get a pretty immediate read on what’s popping, we also zoom out weekly and monthly, which can be more helpful in illuminating broader trends and audience behavior. We can also assess how external factors — like if a film we’re showing has a sequel in theaters — impacted performance.
Human curation means we can program for the zeitgeist
Human curation makes the platform feel more personal. It also allows us to bring our passions to work, and creates an experience for viewers that can’t be replicated by technology.
I’m a big anime fan — so I’m able to think about my job as a programmer and as a consumer. I go to Anime Expo every year, where I chat with superfans to see what’s new on the floor.
One of my favorite anime series of all time is “One Piece.” I’ve been a fan for about 20 years, and I’m lucky to help program our One Piece channel on the platform.
When we first met with the team from Toei Animation, I remember the meeting running long because we were talking so in-depth about what makes the series special. But I think that passion and personal connection factored into their decision to launch the channel with us. We are now up to about 750 episodes.
There are superfans curating other channels, like movies and sports. There’s a “Star Trek” superfan who oversees that channel.
When it comes to launching new ones, we look at pop culture trends, audience demand, and what is going on in a yearly calendar to create big moments.
For instance, procedurals are huge for us. And within that, there are a lot of sub-genres to explore, like medical dramas or legal dramas. “Criminal Minds” is a great example. It consistently delivered strong numbers on our Crime Drama channel, so we knew expanding the library made sense — which led to a dedicated 24/7 Criminal Minds channel.
In terms of getting rid of channels, we constantly monitor performance — but a dip in numbers doesn’t mean an immediate cut. First, we can try to add or move content or promote top shows.
Human curation also enables us to program around the zeitgeist and different micro-events like National Donut Day, or the birthday of a popular anime character. And it enables us to adjust to real-time news. When Gene Hackman passed away, for instance, we had a movie marathon to memorialize him.
Looking back at the last decade, it’s cool to see what works using data and also our instincts, but we’re still learning and adapting all the time. We started with a “try new things” mindset, and we still do that, because it works.
