NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Crackle Plus, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) company and the operator of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services Crackle and Popcornflix, today announced a new slate of original and exclusive programming during its NewFronts presentation.
Based on viewers’ feedback and the success of recent Crackle originals, Crackle Plus unveiled close to 200 hours of new Crackle original and exclusive programming, with a diverse mix of original sports docuseries, scripted series, feature films and unscripted programming, aiming to offer both content that entertains and content that empowers and inspires its viewers. As part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Crackle Plus uniquely sources its original content from sister companies Screen Media, a leading content distribution company, and Landmark Studio Group, a production company of premium scripted and unscripted content.
“Since introducing Crackle Plus one year ago, we have made incredible strides to become a leading AVOD platform when it comes to original programming,” said Philippe Guelton, president of Crackle Plus. “Our unprecedented growth is driven by programming that engages audiences and provides exciting opportunities for advertising partners.”
Crackle Plus has doubled its content offerings since May 2019 and experienced approximately 40% audience growth since it began to introduce original and exclusive programming in October of 2019. At NewFronts, Crackle Plus shared its plans to develop and produce new and returning original series and feature films including:
Unscripted and Documentary Series
Based on the success of recent Crackle originals, including season one of “Going From Broke,” ground-breaking docu-series “Yelawolf: A Slumerican Life” and the Ghostbusters documentary “Cleanin’ Up The Town,” Crackle returns with a slate of new exciting and diverse unscripted shows and documentaries.
Going From Broke (season two), premieres 1Q21 (10 x 30’)
Following the overwhelming success of Webby Award-winning season one, which saw over 16 million streams, Crackle Plus is thrilled to announce season two of this groundbreaking series. From executive producer Ashton Kutcher, the series sheds light on the national crisis of student debt and offers practical solutions for young people to go from broke. Host Dan Rosensweig (CEO of Chegg) returns to work with millennials to break the chains of debt, empowering them to take control of their financial future. Produced by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.
History of Gangster Rap, premieres 2021 (4 x 60’)
Based on the book by Soren Baker (featuring the story of N.W.A., Biggie, 2Pac, Ice Cube, Snoop Dog, and Ice-T), this 10 episode docuseries will explore how the music and art form of gangster rap originated, its evolution over the past three decades, and the artists and songs that have been the linchpins to its success, longevity, and relevance to the music industry and today’s modern society. This series will provide unprecedented access for viewers to a world they have never seen. Produced by Landmark Studio Group.
World’s Smartest Homes, premieres 2021 (10 x 30”)
“World’s Smartest Homes” is a property series that follows Emmy-nominated home design host and TV personality Tanya Memme. 10 30-minute episodes take viewers around the world for exclusive looks into a world few people ever get to see. During each tour, Tanya asks all the right questions, balancing her passion for incredible homes with her super-charged tech-geek side giving the audience a taste of what it’s like to live life as the rich and famous.
Sports Documentaries and Documentary Series
Back by popular demand after the smashing success of the Crackle original basketball docuseries “On Point” (14 million streams) and Crackle exclusive “‘85, The Greatest Team in Football History,” sports docuseries will have a bigger role in the upcoming programming slate:
Road to Raceday, premieres July 1, 2020 (8 x 60’)
Peter Berg's Film 45 (“QB1: Beyond the Lights”) gives fans an inside look into NASCAR for the first time in history in this limited-run docuseries. The most exclusive and successful NASCAR motor club, Hendrick Motorsports, has given cameras full access to its team, including mega stars Chase Elliot, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Kasey Kahne. Along with chronicling one of its drivers as they prepare for a race, each episode will highlight the young characters that make up the pit crews, like Dion Williams, a former professional football player who now moves 70-pound tires for a living.
Anything is Possible, premieres 3Q20 (1 x 60’)
This inspiring documentary follows NBA champion Serge Ibaka on his journey home to visit his humble roots in the Republic of Congo to show his family and friends not only the NBA Championship trophy he earned, but more importantly to share the message that through hard work and determination, “Anything is Possible." Produced by Uninterrrupted Films.
Sports Confidential, premieres 2021 (4 x 60’)
An explosive new docuseries that blows the whistle on some of the biggest scandals, dirty corruption, and untold controversies in sports history. Hosted by former Texas A&M basketball coach and CBS, NCAA announcer Christopher Walker, “Sports Confidential” tackles shadowed events such as how bribery shaped the NCAA, the point shaving scandal at University of San Diego, as well as many others. Produced by Landmark Studio Group.
Scripted TV Series
Following in the footsteps of Crackle original scripted TV series such as “The Oath,” “Snatch,” or “Startup,” Crackle Plus announced four new scripted series for the coming year.
Spides, premieres 3Q20 (8 x 60’)
Shot and set in modern-day Berlin, “Spides” follows Nora Berger, a young woman who wakes from a coma without any memory of her previous life after taking a mysterious club drug, BLISS. Local police detective David Leonhart and his partner Nique Navar are hunting down the source of the drug in relation to dozens of missing teens from all over the city. When Nora begins digging in an attempt to discover the truth of her own experience, she begins to peel back the layers of a conspiracy of aliens using synthetic drugs to infiltrate humans to use as host bodies. In this taught sci-fi thriller, the more truth Nora brings to light, the darker secrets from her own life are revealed as she discovers she is the key to the invasion she is fighting.
Safehaven, premieres 2021 (10 x 60’)
Created by executive producer James Seale, “Safehaven” is a supernatural thriller about Jenna Frost, a high school comic book artist who finds herself trapped in an alternate reality – a personal purgatory ripped from the pages of “Safehaven,” the graphic novel of her own creation. In reality, Jenna lies in a coma after a car crash and is living inside a nightmarish parody of high school life where the real world collides with the horrors of her comic book. Part paranormal thrill ride, part mystery drama, “Safehaven” is a fast-paced, conspiracy-laced series told through a parallel-reality structure similar in tone to “The Matrix” and “Inception,” only in the YA horror space. Produced by Landmark Studio Group.
Flagrant, premieres 2021 (10 x 60’)
Twenty years after he was caught throwing a game and gambling on his own team, a disgraced college basketball star, played by Michael Rappaport, gets an unlikely shot at redemption. He fled Queens, NY decades ago to get away from the stigma of the scandal, but he’s now asked to come home and fill in as coach for a currently-failing team, at the same school he famously sold down the river decades ago. Produced by Landmark Studio Group.
The Operative, premieres 2021 (10 x 60’)
Craig T. Nelson stars in this international spy thriller series as retired intelligence operative John Straw, who was mysteriously forced to end his career following the Cold War but re-emerges to warn of an upcoming attack on American soil. A young analyst named Emma, sent by the CIA to interview him about his claims, uncovers that Straw has a head full of stories, some pointing to a decade’s old conspiracy with ties to the Kremlin. In her search for the truth, Emma and John soon become allies as they work together to try and stop a skilled, ruthless, and formidable enemy before it’s too late for the country...and themselves. Produced by Landmark Studio Group.
Feature Films
Crackle Plus also announced exclusive AVOD streaming rights to an impressive list of premium feature films, including movies produced by sister company Landmark Studio Group.
Willy’s Wonderland, premieres 2021 (1 x 90’)
Nicolas Cage stars as a quiet drifter who is tricked into a job at a condemned theme park. His mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics. Filmed on location in and around Atlanta, Georgia, this film promises to deliver equal parts thrills and chills. Produced by Landmark Studio Group.
Trigger Point, premieres 2021 (2 x 90’)
A series of action films around Nicolas Brazer, who is a retired U.S. special operative who worked in the darkest shadows of the government, part of an elite “invisible” team that quietly took out some of the nastiest enemies to U.S. safety around the world. After being blamed for the exposure and ultimate death of several members of his own team, Nicolas disappeared into a life of solitude and indignity. Now two years removed, he is reluctantly drawn back into this dangerous world - with both enemies and nefarious friends coming after him, to not only clear his name, but to prevent the killing of a new generation of heroic operatives. Produced by Landmark Studio Group.
Other exclusive AVOD features include “The Sonata,” (Freya Tingley) “Corporate Animals,” (Ed Helms, Demi Moore) “Robert the Bruce,” (Angus Macfadyen) “Blood and Money,” (Tom Berenger) and “The Jesus Rolls” (John Turturro, Susan Sarandon, and Jon Hamm).
Crackle is available in the U.S. and can be accessed on 25 devices and services including Amazon FireTV, RokuTV, Apple TV, Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio), gaming consoles (PS4 and XBoxOne), on iOS and Android mobile devices and on desktop at Crackle.com. After its recent launch on PLEX, Crackle Plus also announced today that its networks will soon be coming to Xfinity Flex and FuboTV. Crackle is also available in approximately 500,000 hotel rooms in the Marriott chain.
CRACKLE PLUS, A CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY
Crackle Plus owns and operates ad-supported VOD networks Crackle and Popcornflix and garners 50 million streams of its movies and TV shows per month, making it one of the largest AVOD streaming platforms in the U.S. Crackle Plus has over 78,000 hours of content available across all its networks, and premieres at least one original and one exclusive program each month, differentiating it from other AVODs. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) owns a majority stake in the company formed with Sony Pictures Television. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media subsidiary and produces original long and short-form content through Landmark Studio Group, its Chicken Soup for the Soul Originals division and APlus.com. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.
ABOUT SCREEN MEDIA VENTURES, LLC
Screen Media Ventures, LLC, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) company, acquires the rights to high quality, independent television series and feature films for the US and Canada. Screen Media Ventures acquires worldwide rights for distribution through theatrical, home video, pay-per-view, free, cable and pay television, video-on-demand, and new digital media platforms. The company acquires AVOD rights for third party networks and is the main supplier of content for Crackle Plus and other Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment properties. With a library of over 1,500 television series and motion pictures, Screen Media Ventures is one of the largest independent suppliers of high-quality tv series and motion pictures to U.S. and international broadcast markets, cable networks, home video outlets and new media venues. For more information, visit screenmedia.net.
ABOUT LANDMARK STUDIO GROUP
Landmark Studio Group, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company, is a fully-integrated entertainment company, which aims to create compelling, engaging and entertaining content for global distribution utilizing internal distribution channels, including Crackle Plus and Screen Media Ventures, or in partnership with third party platforms. Recent projects include the feature film Willy’s Wonderland, starring Nicolas Cage; the action film series, Trigger Point; and the television series, Safehaven, as well as projects in active development to be produced in Fall 2020 and beyond, including the original dramedy series, Flagrant, starring Michael Rapaport. Landmark Studio Group is headquartered in New York with offices in Los Angeles.
