Crackle Plus, the streaming network operated by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, says it will soon offer original programming and launch an ad-supported linear network.
The announcement was made this week at an industry presentation known as the Upfronts.
As part of its deeper push into original content, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment said it had acquired Sonar Entertainment, a production company whose library includes 700 movies and more than 1,800 television episodes.
“Crackle has been pioneering original programming on AVOD for nearly a decade,” Jeff Meier, the head of programming for Crackle Plus, said in a statement, using the acronym for ad-supported video streaming services. “We’ve always believed in the combined power of originals and a strong, diverse library of content that keep viewers coming back for more.”
This week, Crackle Plus said it would launch a suite of original programs to complement its on-demand and soon-to-be-launched linear streaming products. Those shows include “Going From Broke,” a reality show produced by Ashton Kutcher that helps business owners overcome obstacles in their personal lives, and the fact-based program “The Uncommon History of Very Common Things.”
The linear streaming channel will feature self-help programming supplied by Sonar that falls in line with the famous “Chicken Soup for the Soul” improvement books.
Crackle’s on-demand streaming app is supported by most major streaming television platforms, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV (Google TV), along with smart TVs, game consoles, phones, tablets and computers.
