Dungeons & Dragons to Launch Free 24-Hour Streaming Channel

Dungeons & Dragons is getting a 24-hour streaming channel later this year. eOne, the entertainment arm of Dungeons & Dragons parent company Hasbro, has announced a free ad-supported television channel called Dungeons & Dragons Adventures that will launch on a number of (yet to be named) platforms later this year. The new channel will launch with several new original programs and will air episodes of the 1980s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon show. The channel is slated to launch this summer. 

New programs featured on Dungeons & Dragons Adventures includes Encounter Party, which is a filmed version of the Actual Play podcast of the same name and will bring on Khary Payton as a cast member, Faster, Purple Worm, Kill! Kill!, a show co-created by Matthew Lillard that features a revolving cast of special guests and celebrities create first-level characters who then face off against monsters well above their recommended challenge rating, and Heroes' Feast, which features Mike Haracz and Sujata Day prepare recipes from the cookbook of the same name. The channel will also feature shows by influencers and third-party content creators, with a focus on live gameplay. 

Free ad-supported streaming television (FAST for short) is a growing kind of streaming platform, with a service more similar to traditional broadcast channels. Channels are available for free to subscribers and is supported by ad revenue as opposed to subscription fees. Many studios have pulled content from their streaming platforms to air on FAST platforms instead, and even companies that are still aggressively building their streaming platforms (like Prime Video) are looking to build FAST platforms as supplementary platforms.  Given that eOne regularly partners with Paramount, which owns Pluto TV, it seems like a strong possibility that Dungeons & Dragons Adventure will appear on that platform. eOne and Paramount are also partnering on a Dungeons & Dragons television show that will air on Paramount+.