For Web Shows, we’ve partnered with a number of media producers to bring you curated, episodic video content inside Plex! We’ve seeded our catalog with lovely, curated shows from only the highest quality creators; no robotic “top ten life hacks” or sparkly slime spam, and we’ll continue to grow our catalog over time.
Player Support
The following Plex player app versions have support for Web Shows:
- Android (mobile)
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- iOS
- macOS (desktop)
- PlayStation 4
- Plex Media Player
- Plex Web App
- Roku
- Smart TV (LG 4K/UHD [webOS 2.0+], Samsung 2016+ UHD)
- Windows (desktop)
- Xbox One
Enable or Disable
Using the Web app, go in to your account settings to turn Web Shows on or off for your account.
Your options are:
- Enabled: Web Shows will be available for the current account (and any Managed Users in a Plex Home the account administers)
- Disabled: Web Shows will not appear anywhere in apps for the current account (nor will it appear for any Managed Users in a Plex Home the account administers)
- Disabled for Managed Users: Web Shows will be available for the current account but will not appear for any Managed Users in a Plex Home the account administers (default selection)
Related Page: Online Media Sources
Navigation
Web Shows Discovery Screen
The main Web Shows page can be found in the web app on the bottom of the left sidebar under “Online Content”.
In the iOS and Android mobile apps, it can be found via the navigation row at the bottom of screen. Depending on how you arranged this on mobile you, may have to hit the … More button.
Related Page: Navigating the Mobile Apps
In Roku, select Web Shows on the left navigation.
On the main Web Shows screen in your app, you may see:
- On Deck: Episodes for shows in “My Shows” that are in-progress or are up next and waiting
- Trending Episodes: Episodes that have seen a recent growth in popularity
- My Shows: A list of all your subscribed Web Shows
- All Shows: A list of all Web Shows currently in our catalog
My Shows: Adding and Removing
Adding
To follow a Web Show, you add/save that show to My Shows. On Deck will only show episodes from those saved in My Shows. To subscribe to a show, go to the main summary screen for that Web Show and use the Add to My Shows button.
Removing
You can remove a Web Show from My Shows in several ways:
- On the preplay screen for that Web Show in the web app, click the In My Shows button so that the green checkmark disappears
- In mobile apps click the … menu and choose Remove from My Shows
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Plex Pass or Plex Media Server required to use Web Shows?
Web Shows is available to all users for free and does not require a Plex Pass or a Plex Media Server.
Can users control access for themselves and their managed users?
Similar to Podcasts and News, users can enable/disable the feature for themselves and their managed users in their Online Media Sources settings in the Plex Web app.
Related Page: Online Media Sources settings
Will streaming quality adjust automatically?
Yes. We use multiple bit rate HLS / DASH and provide automatic bit rate adjustment based on available bandwidth. This is separate from the options available in Plex clients for controlling “Automatic Quality.”
Can I add my own content or shows from other streaming sites?
Web Shows is a curated collection of content that is officially licensed with partnership agreements, and thus users cannot add their own content on-demand. We are looking to grow the catalog with content that is appealing to all users, and so you can send us your content suggestions. Inclusion in our catalog can depend on who owns the content and the type of distribution they have or representation they are working with.
Can I select shows and episodes to download for offline viewing?
At launch we will offer online viewing only. Due to current licensing agreements, we are unable to support downloading or offline playback of Web Shows. We hope to work with our partners to potentially bring this capability in the future.
Are there any geographic restrictions?
There are no graphic restrictions for playback. All Web Shows are officially licensed for worldwide distribution in Plex.
Is the content limited to only English language shows?
For launch, the majority of shows are in English, however we do intend to expand content coverage globally to include shows in more languages.
Are you considering adding support for live broadcast?
It’s something we have discussed, but definitely won’t be part of the initial launch or any update shortly after.
How do I suggest content to be added to the catalog?
You can send us your content suggestion by replying to this forum topic.