Crackle Announces Redesign and New AVOD Service

Crackle Plus, the free, ad-supported streaming service, will relaunch in the second half of this year with a new user interface for smartphones and televisions, an effort to make finding content easier and to provide viewers improved search recommendations. The service will also require smartphone users to sign in for the first time, a move to support targeted advertising and better cross-platform recommendations. The company announced the redesign at the virtual NewFronts, which featured a growth strategy that includes a new AVOD service, additional original programming and 34 more distribution platforms. Adweek was given exclusive access to the presentation, which will stream Monday afternoon. “The last year has brought many challenges,” said Philippe Guelton, Crackle Plus president. “But it’s also been a year of opportunities and transformation for Crackle Plus.” Crackle Plus, which includes the AVODs Crackle and Popcornflix, more than doubled its content offering of general audience-geared TV shows and movies over the past year, and added more than 200 hours of original and exclusive programming. Crackle Plus has 30 million monthly users across its platforms, according to the company. In many ways this has been a banner year for streaming services like Crackle, which is owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. While cord-cutting and increased viewership reached new highs because the global pandemic forced people to stay home, it also shut down film and TV production. The content pipeline took a hit. There’s also never been more competition. That’s something William J. Rouhana, Jr., CEO and Chairman of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, addressed in the fourth quarter earnings call in March. “While a variety of players are moving into ad-supported streaming, we think we are in an ideal position to create a distinct, compelling experience for viewers and advertisers,” he said. “We’re a pure play AVOD, unencumbered by legacy media models. We’re positioning our networks for what we see as an escalating migration of traditional TV dollars to digital platforms. We have the brands, the distribution and the content to attract viewers and advertisers and we are gaining momentum.” A new look One of the first steps to achieve that, is improving the user experience. “Customers are looking for an effortless way to watch great, free content,” Adam Mosam, CTO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc., said. To that end, the redesign includes a linear guide, better search and recommendations algorithm and a more informative content description page. There will also be a content calendar to show users what’s coming up. The new app is expected to launch in late Q2 on Vizio smart TVs. As part of that partnership, the remote control will have a Crackle-branded remote button, retail packaging that features the Crackle logo and testing of content and creative performance with the Vizio SmartCast audience. Moving to server-side advertising “This exciting partnership will help deliver a more relevant advertising experience on CTV to brands and consumers alike,” said Katherine Pond, Vizio’s vp of business development." Users of the redesigned smartphone app will be required to create an account and sign in for the first time. That allows better cross-platform recommendations, but it also allows the company to move from client-side to server-side advertising, a move to serve ads more efficiently. It also enables the company to create a loyalty program, called Crackle Rewards, for all users that register for an account starting the second half of the year. Users will earn points inside the mobile apps by watching Crackle content. Some rewards include a day pass for no ads, Crackle swag and downloadable codes from Screen Media, Crackle’s sister company. The program will also offer limited-time rewards from Crackle Plus’ partners and create an elite rewards system for superfans. And a “super-casting” feature means users can browse on their phone and then display that chosen content on their preferred viewing device. New content, new viewers The company is counting on additional original content and its new AVOD platform, Chicken Soup for the Soul, set to launch in the fall, to attract new users. While Crackle serves a general audience, the new AVOD targets women and families. The programming is described as “inspiring, uplifting and informative, and designed to help viewers live a better life.” The scripted movies and TV shows will draw in part from Sonar Entertainment, with unscripted shows and documentaries featuring the lives of history-makers and everyday heroes. Lifestyle programming will include home, food, DIY, style and travel experts. “We combined that natural inclination toward story telling with the warm feeling of comfort that you get from our brand,” Amy Newmark, Chicken Soup for the Soul’s publisher and editor-in-chief said. “That’s why our mission is to change the world and make it better one story at a time.” Crackle plans to up its pace of new content. It has been delivering two to three new titles monthly, and plans are underway to significantly increase that number. “We believe we are in a position to eventually accelerate that to as many as one new title per week,” Rouhana said in the fourth quarter call on March 31. “We believe no one in the AVOD business is delivering original and exclusive content at a rate approaching that.” The second season of the Ashton Kutcher-produced financial makeover show Going from Broke returns May 20. The unscripted show follows Americans with crushing debt as they learn from experts how to regain financial independence. Riding Phat is one of the new shows, functioning as a behind-the-scenes look at the Phoenix-based company that custom builds electric scooters for clients, including celebrities like former NBA all-star Dominique Wilkins and actor Jeremy Renner. Another new show is The Uncommon History of Very Common Things, a 10-episode docuseries about the unusual history of common things like cameras, coffee, clocks. Joining these two is Inside the Black Box, an intimate one-on-one interview series with African American actors and pioneers in the entertainment industry. Guests include Sherri Shepherd, Kerry Washington and Tamara Tunie. Other shows include Vince Carter: Legacy is a biopic documentary that examines the complex emotions of the eight-time all star’s farewell season, and Promiseland, which follows Ja Morant on his rookie season in the NBA. Producers were given all-access and take viewers inside the night before his NBA debut through his Rookie of the Year crowning. The Green Wave, another new show, tells the true comeback story of the Summerville High School basketball team after their coach, Louis Mulkey, a dedicated firefighter, died in a catastrophic fire, while The Machine goes inside Long Beach Poly, the most storied sports high school in American history. Distributing Crackle Plus To bolster that effort, Crackle Plus is adding 34 new VOD and digital linear touch points for Crackle, Popcornflix, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul AVOD includingPlex, Philo, Xumo, FuboTV, Comcast Flex, Xfinity and Redbox. Company leadership believes these new distribution platforms will have a big impact. During the Q4 earnings call Rouhana said, “We believe each distribution partnership has the ability to add up to 500,000 monthly viewers over time." Crackle Plus Will Sell Plex’s US Advertising Inventory in Expanded Deal