Beloved Publishing Megabrand ‘Chicken Soup for The Soul’ Brings Its Original Mission of “Changing Your World One Story at The Time” To Linear FAST Platforms Ahead of Full AVOD Launch
COS COB, Conn., Nov. 04, 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, announced today the launch of its new free ad-supported streaming service, Chicken Soup for the Soul, which is now available as a FAST channel on Plex, FreeCast, and Redbox, with LG Channels, Stirr, XUMO, and VIZIO’s free streaming service WatchFree joining in December.
Additional platforms will roll out prior to the launch of a full Chicken Soup for the Soul AVOD offering, which will be available in coming weeks. The Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service will carry thousands of hours of women’s lifestyle content as well as thousands of TV shows and movies.
The Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service will feature a robust collection of the best in home (such as Smart Home Nation), weddings (Rich Bride, Poor Bride & Wedding SOS), food (Ciao Italia and Pitchin’ In), DIY, style, travel, reality (Yummy Mummies) as well as stories from everyday heroes, in addition to classic favorites across genres like Drama, True Crime, Thrillers, Comedy and Screen Legends. The service will also feature the award-winning content that Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has been creating for years for networks like TLC, Discovery Life, Discovery Family, A&E, CBS, The CW and Netflix such as Animal Tales, Hidden Heroes, Vacation Rental Potential, Project Dad and the award-winning series Going From Broke.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul has been the world’s favorite storyteller since 1993, so I’m thrilled that we are continuing to enlighten and entertain our fans, now through TV and films,” said Amy Newmark, author, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. “Our brand stands for hope, inspiration, and all the best in humanity, and our fans know that when content is brought to them by Chicken Soup for the Soul they will have a great experience.”
“With the addition of Chicken Soup for the Soul to our family of AVOD networks, Crackle Plus expands its audience to millions of primarily female viewers, providing our advertisers and marketing partners a hard-to-reach and underserved audience in the AVOD market,” said Philippe Guelton, president of Crackle Plus.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul has been a household name for decades and their much beloved content will resonate with SmartCast audiences,” said Katherine Pond, vice president of business development at Vizio. “We’re pleased to be expanding our distribution partnership with Crackle Plus and to be working together to deliver even more content that viewers will love.”
“Plex is always looking for ways to broaden our content offering to keep our fans coming back again and again,” said Keith Valory, CEO of Plex. “The comforting and inspiring films and TV shows under the Chicken Soup for the Soul banner are a great addition to our lineup, especially as we head into the holiday season.”
“As an organization that focuses on delivering local, live and authentic free TV across multiple platforms, STIRR sees their relationship with Crackle Plus, one of the longest-running ad-supported networks in the industry as a perfect fit,” said Ben Lister, director of content acquisition and business development at STIRR. “Giving our audience access to the new Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service is a great way for us to work together and strengthen both brands.”
"Chicken Soup for the Soul is an indelible brand with tremendous appeal to XUMO users,” noted Stefan Van Engen, SVP of programming and partnerships at XUMO. “The debut of this dedicated programming on XUMO brings a wealth of high caliber, engaging content that is certain to attract millions of fans, old and new.”
"Chicken Soup for the Soul is a wonderful addition to SelectTV. We're always looking to add high-quality content, and it's even more exciting for our customers when we can partner with a familiar and recognizable brand," said Tracy West, executive vice president of digital content and channel distribution for FreeCast, which operates SelectTV.
The Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service joins Crackle Plus’s family of free, on-demand offerings including Crackle, Popcornflix and Truli. As part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Crackle Plus uniquely sources its original content from sister companies Screen Media Ventures, a leading content distribution company; Landmark Studio Group, a production company of premium scripted and unscripted content; Halcyon Television, led by industry veteran David Ellender; and the recently-acquired Sonar Entertainment library of 700 movies and 1800 TV episodes, which have earned a total of 446 Emmy Nominations, 104 Emmy Awards and 15 Golden Globes.
Crackle Plus streaming services are currently distributed through 50 touch points in the U.S. with announced plans to expand to more than 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
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.
ABOUT STIRR
STIRR is a free ad-supported streaming service featuring a mix of live local news, TV shows, movies, sports and lifestyle programming. STIRR streams 100,000+ hours of live local news, 100+ free TV channels and 8,000+ hours of free on-demand movies and TV shows. The STIRR app is available on, Roku TV, Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Apple TV as well as iOS and Android devices or at www.STIRR.com. Based in Los Angeles, STIRR is a first of its kind local OTT service created, owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
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 CONTACTS:
Kate Barrette
RooneyPartners LLC
kbarrette@rooneypartners.com
(212) 223-0561
Chris Woolsey
Director of Communications
Crackle Plus
chris_woolsey@crackle.com
310.422.9975
Natalie Yallouz
MPRM Communications on behalf of Crackle Plus
crackleplus@mprm.com
323.933.3399
Leigh Anne Arnold
Sinclair Broadcast Group and STIRR
Sinclair@5wpr.com
Source: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.