Crackle (company)

Crackle, Inc.
Subsidiary
Industry Entertainment
Founded San Francisco, California July 2007
Headquarters Culver City, California, United States
Number of locations
 Culver City, CA
Miami, Florida
Area served
 North America
South America
Central America
Australasia
Services Digital streaming
Owner Sony
Parent Sony Pictures Entertainment
Website www.crackle.com

Crackle is an online distributor of original web shows, Hollywood movies, and TV shows.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Founded in the early 2000s as Grouper and rebranded in 2007, Crackle is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The service is free with commercials on all supported platforms.[10]

History

In August 2006, Sony purchased the online video site Grouper for $65 million.[11][12] In July 2007, Sony announced that Grouper would be re-branded and re-purposed as Crackle, a multi-platform video-entertainment network and studio, featuring full-length movies and television shows from Sony’s library, and would produce original content made for the Internet.[6][9][11][12] In late 2008, San Francisco based Crackle was moved to Sony’s Culver City base to be formally folded into the studio’s digital content operations.[12]

In March 2011, Crackle became available for streaming across PS3, Roku boxes, Sony Blu-ray players and Bravia TVs.[13] In April 2011, Crackle announced that they would release apps for iOS and Android systems in June of the same year.[10][14][15] Crackle also partnered with Xbox Live, making its content available for Xbox 360.[15] In June 2013, Crackle released an app for the BlackBerry 10 platform.[8][16] In December 2013, Crackle made its content available for the Apple TV set-top box.[17][18]

In January 2012, Crackle added Animax to its content, available to viewers in the US and Canada.[15][19] Towards the end of 2013, the Animax branding was removed. In Australia, Crackle became the free-to-air home of popular soap opera Days of Our Lives after the television broadcaster Nine Network axed the series after 45 years.[20]

On April 1, 2014, Sony Pictures Television ceased its Crackle operations in the UK and Australia almost four years after Crackle had expanded into the UK.[21][22] Crackle UK had struggled to gain a large audience due to other competitors like LoveFilm and Netflix.[21] Two days later, NBCUniversal Television & New Media Distribution struck a multi-year deal with Crackle to have more than 140 of NBCUni's feature films streamed.[23][24] but Crackle shut down its UK service in April 2014 without prior notice.[25]

On April 30, 2014, Crackle announced it would begin carrying Sports Jeopardy!, which as its name implies is a sports-themed version of the syndicated game show Jeopardy!, beginning that fall. Dan Patrick will host the series.[26] Approximately one week after the cancellation of the theatrical release of The Interview, in the aftermath of the Sony hack, the New York Post reported that Sony would release the movie for free, on Crackle.[27]

On April 14, 2015, Crackle held its first-ever upfront presentation. During the event, it announced a new feature dubbed "Always On"; a linear, ad-supported, internet television channel similar to Vevo TV. Among the new programs announced was Crackle's first animated series, SuperMansion; their first hour long scripted drama, The Art of More; and Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, a sequel to 2001's Joe Dirt being touted as the first ever "made-for-digital" movie sequel.[28]

Programming

Crackle features programming in the following key genres: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Horror and Sci-fi.[29]

Original programming

Crackle has produced and distributed original programing including Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Chosen, Sports Jeopardy!, and full-length feature films Extraction and Joe Dirt 2.[1][5][30][31][32][33][34][35]

Movie and TV library

Crackle features many Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, and Sony Pictures Classics titles and Sony-distributed television series like Damages, Rescue Me, The Shield, and Seinfeld.[1][35][36] Its content refreshes monthly, with titles being added and taken down.[4][29][36]

Content partners

Availability

Crackle is available in 21 countries and three languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese.[2][16]

Crackle is available in Australia, but its program lineups there do not exactly mirror those in the United States.[24]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hale, Mike (14 October 2013). "Taking Killers and Thrillers to the Web". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Crackle at Sony Pictures Television". iab. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "Comedians in Cars Redefines Sony's Crackle". Ad Week. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 Wilson, Jeffrey L. "Crackle (for iPad)". PCMag. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Microsoft teams with Crackle for exclusive TV show". Beta News. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  6. 1 2 "NewFronts: Sony's Crackle Takes David Arquette to 'Cleaners'". Variety. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Crackle.com: Watch Free Movies and TV Shows Online". Frugal Living. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Sony's Crackle arrives on BlackBerry 10, reminds us to not watch Bad Boys II". Engadget. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Sony Pictures Bringing Online Video to Boxee". Mashable. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  10. 1 2 Edgar, Cervantes (2011-04-18). "Watch movies and shows on your phone free with Crackle". Android and me. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  11. 1 2 "Sony's Grouper becomes Crackle, a pathway to Hollywood". VentureBeat. 2007-01-16. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
  12. 1 2 3 "Sony restructuring Crackle online video hub". Reuters. 29 October 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  13. ↑ Lawler, Richard (2011-04-18). "Crackle starts streaming all of its free movies to Roku, PS3, Sony TVs and Blu-ray players.". AOLtech. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  14. ↑ "Sony's new Crackle app for iPad and iPhone lets you take 'Seinfeld' with you". USA Today. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  15. 1 2 3 "Crackle bringing free movies to Xbox Live". The Gamers' Temple. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Crackle streaming TV and Movies app arrives for BlackBerry 10". CrackBerry. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  17. ↑ "Apple Adds ABC, Bloomberg, Crackle, and KOR TV Channels to Apple TV". MacRumors. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  18. ↑ Ingraham, Nathan (2013-12-11). "Apple TV adds new channels for ABC, Crackle, Bloomberg, and KORTV". The Verge. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  19. ↑ Sony’s Crackle Adds Animax Anime Channel
  20. ↑ "Nine axes Days of our Lives after 45 years". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  21. 1 2 Sony Pictures Television shutting down Crackle Nigel Adie cable.co.uk March 31, 2014, Retrieved on April 3, 2014
  22. ↑ Sony UK closes down Crackle VOD Robert Briel broadbandtvnews.com March 25, 2014, Retrieved on April 3, 2014
  23. 1 2 "Deadline" NBCUniversal Inks Film Streaming Deal With Sony’s Crackle deadline.com, Retrieved on April 4, 2014
  24. 1 2 "G'Day Crackle! Sony's Online Network Opens Up to Australia, UK". TubeFilter. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  25. ↑ Adie, Nigel. "Sony Pictures Television shutting down Crackle". Cable.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  26. ↑ Sony making a sports version of Jeopardy! Associated Press (April 30, 2014). Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  27. ↑ Sauchelli, Dana (21 December 2014). "Sony plans to release 'The Interview' on Crackle for free". New York Post. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  28. ↑ "Crackle Bridges The Gap Between Linear TV And On Demand With New Robust Slate Of Originals And Revolutionary 'Always On' Experience For Connected TV" (Press release). 14 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  29. 1 2 "Stream movies and TV shows for free". CNet. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  30. ↑ "Crackle Greenlights a Second Season of Milo Ventimiglia Original Series 'Chosen'". Indie Wire. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  31. ↑ "Netflix, Crackle, AOL On target consumers with original streaming content". Fierce Online Video. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  32. ↑ "Crackle Gets Set for a New Original Series". Techno Buffalo. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  33. ↑ "Crackle Announces New Series, Feature-Length Movies And More Jerry Seinfeld". Deadline. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  34. ↑ Hurwitz, Daniel (5 September 2013). "TV on the Web: Crackle unveils original 'Extraction'". USA Today. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  35. 1 2 "Crackle Brings the Action With Extraction, First Original Movie". Streaming Media. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  36. 1 2 "Free movies on iOS with Sony's Crackle app". TUAW. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  37. ↑ "Aniplex of America Panel". Anime News Network. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  38. ↑ "DirecTV sports standoff gets digital satire: Satcaster, Fox team for branded entertainment series". Chicago Tribune. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  39. ↑ "Crackle Service Streams Funimation Anime on Xbox Live". Anime News Network. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  40. 1 2 Kramer, Staci D. "YouTube Meets Hulu, Sort Of; Shows Premium Pay Potential". Forbes. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  41. ↑ "Red Bull's high flier". C21Media. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  42. ↑ "Snagfilms adds VOD berths demand dish network". Multichannel News. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  43. ↑ "SnagFilms expands distribution, capabilities and executive team". Digital Media Wire. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  44. ↑ "SnagFilms Extends Distribution With Multichannel VOD And Streaming Deals". Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  45. ↑ "Interlude Anime on Crackle". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
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