Second Major Series from Acquired Sonar Library Premieres on Crackle
From the Creator of ‘Peaky Blinders’ and Starring Tom Hardy,
‘Taboo’ Will Debut on Crackle as an AVOD Exclusive
COS COB, Conn., Sept. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE), one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks, today announced that all eight episodes of season one of the Emmy-nominated gritty, period drama series Taboo will be exclusively available for free on Crackle beginning Wednesday, September 15th.
Taboo is one of the many series acquired from Sonar Entertainment by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. This is the second series that will premiere on Crackle from the Sonar library. The first was The Temptations, which quickly shot to the #1 series on the network.
“We are quickly integrating the Sonar library content into our Crackle Plus offerings and are finding that they are performing exceptionally well with our viewers,” said Philippe Guelton, President of Crackle Plus. “We plan to continue to highlight other Sonar series and films over the coming months.”
Set in the year 1814, Taboo follows James Keziah Delaney (Tom Hardy), a man who has been to the ends of the earth and comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long dead, he returns home to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father's shipping empire and rebuild a life for himself. But his father's legacy is a poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every corner, James must navigate increasingly complex territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled by conspiracy, murder and betrayal, a dark family mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and treachery.
Created by Steven Knight (Locke, Peaky Blinders), Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, Venom, Peaky Blinders) and his father, Edward “Chips” Hardy, the eight-part mysterious and dark drama is based on a story written by Tom Hardy and Chips Hardy. Led by Tom Hardy, Taboo boasts an all-star ensemble cast that includes Jessie Buckley (Chernobyl, Fargo), Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones, Black Mirror), Stephen Graham (The Irishman, Greyhound), Tom Hollander (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Night Manager), Michael Kelly (The Comey Rule, Jack Ryan), Franka Potente (Bourne Supremacy, American Horror Story: Asylum), and Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones, upcoming The Crown).
Taboo garnered two Emmy nominations in 2017 for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for composer Max Richter (Ad Astra, Black Mirror), and Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role. The series is executive produced by Ridley Scott and Kate Crowe for Scott Free, Tom Hardy and Dean Baker for Hardy Son & Baker, and Steven Knight, with Timothy Bricknell producing.
As one of the only AVODs continually adding original and exclusive programming that uplifts, entertains, and inspires audiences, Crackle adds Taboo alongside original and AVOD exclusive titles including PROMISELAND, The Machine, Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story, Cagefighter, After the Murder of Albert Lima, Lennox Lewis: The Untold Story, Insomnia, The Clearing, Anything is Possible: The Serge Ibaka Story, Bucket List, and the award-winning Going From Broke, which recently premiered its second season.
Taboo is distributed in North America by Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. company and the supplier of exclusive and original content to Crackle Plus.
The Crackle Plus networks are currently distributed through 50 touch points in the U.S., with announced plans to expand to over 64 touch points including Amazon FireTV, RokuTV, Apple TV, Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio), gaming consoles (PS4 and XBoxOne), Plex, iOS and Android mobile devices and on desktops at Crackle.com. Crackle is also available in approximately 500,000 hotel rooms in the Marriott Bonvoy chain.
ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) operates streaming video-on-demand networks (VOD). The company owns Crackle Plus, which owns and operates a variety of ad-supported and subscription-based VOD networks including Crackle, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. The company also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media subsidiary and produces original long and short-form content through Landmark Studio Group, Chicken Soup for the Soul Unscripted, APlus.com and Halcyon Television. 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.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of management and are not predictions of actual performance. Such assumptions involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to our core strategy, operating income and margin, seasonality, liquidity, including cash flows from operations, available funds, and access to financing sources, free cash flows, revenues, net income, profitability, stock price volatility, future regulatory changes, price changes, the ability of the Company’s content offerings to achieve market acceptance, the Company’s success in retaining or recruiting officers, key employees, or directors, the ability to protect intellectual property, the ability to complete strategic acquisitions, the ability to manage growth and integrate acquired operations, the ability to pay dividends, regulatory or operational risks, and general market conditions impacting demand for the Company’s services. For a more complete description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please refer the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2021, and for further information regarding our recent acquisition of the Sonar library and related assets, please see our Current Reports on Form 8-K, as amended, filed with the SEC on May 27, 2021 and July 1, 2021. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.
INVESTOR RELATIONS
Taylor Krafchik
Ellipsis
csse@ellipsisir.com
(646) 776-0886
MEDIA CONTACT
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RooneyPartners LLC
kbarrette@rooneypartners.com
(212) 223-0561
Source: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.