In an all-stock deal struck designed for the current high-inflation economic environment facing streaming consumers, Crackle parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is acquiring Redbox.
The value of the deal is about 375 million, most of which is the assumption of Redbox debt.
Founded in the heyday of DVDs two decades ago, Redbox is best known for its network of 38,000 bright red, disk-dispensing kiosks at convenience and grocery stores. It has more recently expanded into streaming and production. It went public last fall in a 693 million Spac merger with Seaport Global Acquisition Corp. The stock initially rose past 15 a share but has hit the rocks in recent months, dipping as low as 1.61. The company was forced to lay off 10 of its staff and said it was looking at strategic alternatives.
The acquisition will fortify Chicken Soup for the Soul in the booming sector of ad-supported video on demand, or AVOD.
The value of the deal is about 375 million, most of which is the assumption of Redbox debt.
Founded in the heyday of DVDs two decades ago, Redbox is best known for its network of 38,000 bright red, disk-dispensing kiosks at convenience and grocery stores. It has more recently expanded into streaming and production. It went public last fall in a 693 million Spac merger with Seaport Global Acquisition Corp. The stock initially rose past 15 a share but has hit the rocks in recent months, dipping as low as 1.61. The company was forced to lay off 10 of its staff and said it was looking at strategic alternatives.
The acquisition will fortify Chicken Soup for the Soul in the booming sector of ad-supported video on demand, or AVOD.
- 5/11/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Robert Halmi library has a new home. Halcyon Television has been formed by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, the media company that acquired Sonar Entertainment last month.
Sonar had been headed by CEO David Ellender for the past two years. Halcyon is billed as a high-end scripted production company that is already shepherding multiple development projects. At present Halcyon’s roster of shows, inherited from Sonar, includes Amazon’s “Hunters” and Disney Plus’ “Mysterious Benedicts Society.”
Sonar acquired Halmi’s Rhi Entertainment assets out of bankruptcy in 2012. Sonar itself hit a cash flow crunch in 2019 after committing to a slew of projects. The sale of Sonar to Cos Cob, Conn.-based Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Csse) was confirmed April 9.
“The formation of Halcyon Television will help accelerate our company’s strategy to build the leading independent AVOD network in three ways. It will expand our original...
Sonar had been headed by CEO David Ellender for the past two years. Halcyon is billed as a high-end scripted production company that is already shepherding multiple development projects. At present Halcyon’s roster of shows, inherited from Sonar, includes Amazon’s “Hunters” and Disney Plus’ “Mysterious Benedicts Society.”
Sonar acquired Halmi’s Rhi Entertainment assets out of bankruptcy in 2012. Sonar itself hit a cash flow crunch in 2019 after committing to a slew of projects. The sale of Sonar to Cos Cob, Conn.-based Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Csse) was confirmed April 9.
“The formation of Halcyon Television will help accelerate our company’s strategy to build the leading independent AVOD network in three ways. It will expand our original...
- 5/3/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Updated with closing stock price. Completing one of the more surprising media deals of late, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has taken full control of Crackle Plus, with Sony exercising its option to trade a minority stake for preferred stock.
In May 2019, Sony Pictures Television entered into an arrangement with Cos Cob, Ct-based Chicken Soup, surrendering operational control of Crackle but retaining a minority stake. A new entity, Crackle Plus, was formed to house a portfolio of ad-supported and subscription VOD networks, including Crackle, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. Crackle Plus has a library with 10,800 movies and 22,000 TV episodes.
Shares in Csse gained more than 5% on double their normal trading volume to close at an all-time high of $19.
The transaction gives Sony the right to obtain $40 million of preferred Csse stock in exchange for its stake. For the next 30 days, Chicken Soup has the right to...
In May 2019, Sony Pictures Television entered into an arrangement with Cos Cob, Ct-based Chicken Soup, surrendering operational control of Crackle but retaining a minority stake. A new entity, Crackle Plus, was formed to house a portfolio of ad-supported and subscription VOD networks, including Crackle, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. Crackle Plus has a library with 10,800 movies and 22,000 TV episodes.
Shares in Csse gained more than 5% on double their normal trading volume to close at an all-time high of $19.
The transaction gives Sony the right to obtain $40 million of preferred Csse stock in exchange for its stake. For the next 30 days, Chicken Soup has the right to...
- 12/15/2020
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Taylor Swift is hitting the Academy of Country Music Awards stage for the first time in seven years: The singer will perform the folklore album single “Betty” at the Grand Ole Opry House.
The telecast, airing Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 8/7c on CBS, will kick off with a performance from Entertainer of the Year nominees Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood, featuring a medley of each of their greatest hits.
More from TVLineMoonbase 8: Showtime's Fred Armisen Comedy Gets November Premiere DateTVLine Items: T.I.'s Hip-Hop Cop Drama, Nick Nabs Sheldon and MoreFred Armisen-Led NASA...
The telecast, airing Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 8/7c on CBS, will kick off with a performance from Entertainer of the Year nominees Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood, featuring a medley of each of their greatest hits.
More from TVLineMoonbase 8: Showtime's Fred Armisen Comedy Gets November Premiere DateTVLine Items: T.I.'s Hip-Hop Cop Drama, Nick Nabs Sheldon and MoreFred Armisen-Led NASA...
- 9/14/2020
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
Nearly a year after its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Anything is Possible – The Serge Ibaka Story will have its U.S. debut on Crackle on August 1.
The feature-length documentary about the Congolese NBA star was produced by Vinay Virmani at LeBron James’ Uninterrupted Canada along with Jordi Vilà and Ibaka’s Ouenzé Entertainment.
Ibaka, a power forward, played a key role on the Toronto Raptors’ championship team in 2019. In the Raptors’ upset NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard won Mvp honors but Ibaka proved essential, especially in a 20-point performance on the road in Game 4.
In the film (check out a teaser above), Ibaka is shown returning to his birthplace, the Republic of Congo. Carrying the Larry O’Brien trophy won by the Raptors, he meets with local residents and tours the streets where he grew up. He reflects on the death of his...
The feature-length documentary about the Congolese NBA star was produced by Vinay Virmani at LeBron James’ Uninterrupted Canada along with Jordi Vilà and Ibaka’s Ouenzé Entertainment.
Ibaka, a power forward, played a key role on the Toronto Raptors’ championship team in 2019. In the Raptors’ upset NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard won Mvp honors but Ibaka proved essential, especially in a 20-point performance on the road in Game 4.
In the film (check out a teaser above), Ibaka is shown returning to his birthplace, the Republic of Congo. Carrying the Larry O’Brien trophy won by the Raptors, he meets with local residents and tours the streets where he grew up. He reflects on the death of his...
- 7/22/2020
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with closing stock price. The stock of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment shot up 26% Monday following the company’s release of chart-topping film The Outpost over the weekend.
Shares closed at $9.01, their highest level since February.
Rod Lurie’s Afghanistan war thriller, based on the book by CNN host Jake Tapper and which Deadline’s Pete Hammond lauded as the equal of modern classics like Dunkirk or The Hurt Locker, was the No. 1 movie on iTunes on its opening day Friday. Its distributor is Screen Media, the longtime specialty outfit acquired by Csse in 2017.
Originally, Screen Media had planned to premiere The Outpost at South by Southwest and then give it a nationwide theatrical run via Fathom, but Covid-19 upended the strategy. In a press release, Csse called it “the largest opening day in company history,” though it did not reveal any financials or metrics. On Monday, it...
Shares closed at $9.01, their highest level since February.
Rod Lurie’s Afghanistan war thriller, based on the book by CNN host Jake Tapper and which Deadline’s Pete Hammond lauded as the equal of modern classics like Dunkirk or The Hurt Locker, was the No. 1 movie on iTunes on its opening day Friday. Its distributor is Screen Media, the longtime specialty outfit acquired by Csse in 2017.
Originally, Screen Media had planned to premiere The Outpost at South by Southwest and then give it a nationwide theatrical run via Fathom, but Covid-19 upended the strategy. In a press release, Csse called it “the largest opening day in company history,” though it did not reveal any financials or metrics. On Monday, it...
- 7/6/2020
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Seth Green Talks ‘Crossing Swords’, R-Rated Stop Motion Animation And The Critical Need For Laughter
The new Hulu comedy Crossing Swords isn’t your typical family-friendly stop-motion animation series. In fact, it’s not family-friendly at all — but you would know that already if you have seen anything on Robot Chicken. Created and written by Robot Chicken executive producers John Harvatine IV and Tom Root, Crossing Swords takes us to the time of royals, peasants, knights and mythical — and things get hilariously lewd and quite graphic. If anything, it will make us look at toy peg people in a completely different light. Seth Green, who lends a voice to the series and also serves as Ep was more than excited to reteam with his Robot Chicken cohorts to tell this very fun — and R-rated — story.
“John [Harvatine] and [Tom Root] came up with this concept and all I had to do was say it was awesome and then help get it to air,” Green told Deadline. “I’ve...
“John [Harvatine] and [Tom Root] came up with this concept and all I had to do was say it was awesome and then help get it to air,” Green told Deadline. “I’ve...
- 6/15/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
This Crossing Swords review contains no spoilers and is based on all 10 episodes of the season.
“Did I help the kingdom or commit murder?”
In the past few years there’s been an exceptional bloat of comedic animated series that tackle the Medieval era and the tropes that come along with it. Disenchantment, Harmonquest, Tigtone, and Apollo Gauntlet are all set in extremely similar playgrounds and even though they’re different shows in nature, they all utilize a familiar tone with their deconstruction of these well-established relics from Medieval times. This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to do something unique and worthwhile in this setting, but it makes it much more difficult to stand out and have a project that can truly justify itself. In that regard, Crossing Swords faces a steep uphill battle and while this show isn’t exactly doing anything that’s not already being explored in comparable programming,...
“Did I help the kingdom or commit murder?”
In the past few years there’s been an exceptional bloat of comedic animated series that tackle the Medieval era and the tropes that come along with it. Disenchantment, Harmonquest, Tigtone, and Apollo Gauntlet are all set in extremely similar playgrounds and even though they’re different shows in nature, they all utilize a familiar tone with their deconstruction of these well-established relics from Medieval times. This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to do something unique and worthwhile in this setting, but it makes it much more difficult to stand out and have a project that can truly justify itself. In that regard, Crossing Swords faces a steep uphill battle and while this show isn’t exactly doing anything that’s not already being explored in comparable programming,...
- 6/8/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Considering his moody and at-times dark public persona, it may come as a surprise to find out that The Weeknd is a devoted fan of TBS’ long-running animated series “American Dad.” So much, in fact, that he not only makes a guest appearance in the new episode that premieres Monday night, he even co-wrote the show — and will premiere a new song, written with Asa Taccone, specifically for the series.
Watch an exclusive preview of the show above.
Trailers and images from the episode — in which we will see “Stan abducting The Weeknd to teach Roger a lesson” — aired last week, but there are plenty of surprises in store, as he tells Variety in the exclusive interview below. The appearance is the latest in The Weeknd’s unusual but fast-growing acting resume, which includes a cameo (as himself) in Adam Sandler’s recent film “Uncut Gems,” a third appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in March,...
Watch an exclusive preview of the show above.
Trailers and images from the episode — in which we will see “Stan abducting The Weeknd to teach Roger a lesson” — aired last week, but there are plenty of surprises in store, as he tells Variety in the exclusive interview below. The appearance is the latest in The Weeknd’s unusual but fast-growing acting resume, which includes a cameo (as himself) in Adam Sandler’s recent film “Uncut Gems,” a third appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in March,...
- 5/4/2020
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Image Source: Getty / David M. Benett
There's no denying that one of the best parts of Netflix's Too Hot to Handle is the narration. From the quick quips to the savage zingers, no contestant is spared when it comes to hearing about their actions - not even Lana. But who exactly is the voice behind Too Hot to Handle, you ask?
Well, it's stand-up comedian Desiree Burch. The 41-year-old hails from La, but is currently living in London. She is the host and creator of Comedy Central UK's Fat Chat and has appeared on several other shows, including Live at the Apollo and Live From BBC, as well as Netflix's Flinch and the Comedy Central special Desiree Burch Live. Burch has also starred in a podcast as the voice of Mayor Pamela Winchell in Welcome to Night Vale. However, before she got into a comedy, she used to be a dominatrix,...
There's no denying that one of the best parts of Netflix's Too Hot to Handle is the narration. From the quick quips to the savage zingers, no contestant is spared when it comes to hearing about their actions - not even Lana. But who exactly is the voice behind Too Hot to Handle, you ask?
Well, it's stand-up comedian Desiree Burch. The 41-year-old hails from La, but is currently living in London. She is the host and creator of Comedy Central UK's Fat Chat and has appeared on several other shows, including Live at the Apollo and Live From BBC, as well as Netflix's Flinch and the Comedy Central special Desiree Burch Live. Burch has also starred in a podcast as the voice of Mayor Pamela Winchell in Welcome to Night Vale. However, before she got into a comedy, she used to be a dominatrix,...
- 4/24/2020
- by Monica Sisavat
- Popsugar.com
While every other movie originally due out in the next two months has pushed or delayed its release date, there was title holding fast: My Spy. Even with all movie theaters across the globe shut down for the time being, the Dave Bautista comedy was still set for an April 17 release date – Aka next week. But […]
The post ‘My Spy’ Going Straight to Amazon After Playing Chicken With the Coronavirus appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘My Spy’ Going Straight to Amazon After Playing Chicken With the Coronavirus appeared first on /Film.
- 4/8/2020
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Exclusive: On Point, a 10-part docuseries about Aau basketball featuring appearances by NBA stars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Zion Williamson, will premiere on Crackle Plus in February.
Screen Media said it has acquired North American rights to the show, which is produced by Peter Berg and Film 45 as well as by Complex Networks. Like Crackle Plus, which runs streaming platforms including Crackle and Popcornflix, Screen Media is a unit of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Sony remains a partner in the Crackle joint venture, but Csse controls the day-to-day operations of the ad-supported platform.
The first three episodes of On Point will premiere Monday, February 3, exclusively on Amazon FireTV devices before a wider rollout across Crackle Plus services on February 13.
The Amateur Athletic Union for decades has been a proving ground for top NBA players, who typically play Aau ball in the summer before their senior year. The...
Screen Media said it has acquired North American rights to the show, which is produced by Peter Berg and Film 45 as well as by Complex Networks. Like Crackle Plus, which runs streaming platforms including Crackle and Popcornflix, Screen Media is a unit of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Sony remains a partner in the Crackle joint venture, but Csse controls the day-to-day operations of the ad-supported platform.
The first three episodes of On Point will premiere Monday, February 3, exclusively on Amazon FireTV devices before a wider rollout across Crackle Plus services on February 13.
The Amateur Athletic Union for decades has been a proving ground for top NBA players, who typically play Aau ball in the summer before their senior year. The...
- 1/30/2020
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
In the wise words of Beyoncé, never drop that alcohol. In an appearance on Wednesday's The Late Late Show with James Corden, January Jones, along with John Cena and James Corden, played a game of "Flinch." The premise: each star would take turns standing behind a protective glass wall while holding a martini. The other players would then load a small canon with fruit that would be shot at the glass wall at random. Whomever spilled the least of their martini would be the victor. First up was Cena, who was extremely confident he wouldn't flinch because, as he described it, "I'm dead inside." Turns out, he wasn't as dead as he thought, as the second Corden shot the...
- 1/16/2020
- E! Online
Rising K-pop group Nct 127 (a sub-group of the much larger Nct) stopped by The Late Late Show with James Corden on Tuesday night to perform their song “Superhuman” and play a very fun game of Flinch with the late-night host.
In Flinch, three members at a time stood behind a glass panel, facing down the barrel of a cannon inside a cutout of James Corden’s face. When the band members least expected it, the cannon shot fruit right at their faces; the goal of the game was to not...
In Flinch, three members at a time stood behind a glass panel, facing down the barrel of a cannon inside a cutout of James Corden’s face. When the band members least expected it, the cannon shot fruit right at their faces; the goal of the game was to not...
- 5/15/2019
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Sony-backed producer Stellify Media is preparing a move into drama following the launch of its wacky gameshow Flinch on Netflix.
The company, which is known for producing left-of-center gameshows such as BBC primetime Saturday night format Can’t Touch This and classic formats such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and Blind Date, is looking to diversify into scripted this year.
It is working with prolific Northern Irish comedian Ciaran Bartlett to develop a number of drama series. Bartlett has written shows including BBC Northern Ireland’s Tight Shorts and Soft Border Patrol as well as Rte sitcom Homebirds and is also working with BBC Studios on a sitcom.
Stellify Media’s Joint Managing Director Kieran Doherty (left) started his career writing for BBC series including Sesame Tree, Teethgrinder and Jim Henson’s Pajanimals before moving into the non-scripted side of the business. He told Deadline, “I started as a writer,...
The company, which is known for producing left-of-center gameshows such as BBC primetime Saturday night format Can’t Touch This and classic formats such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and Blind Date, is looking to diversify into scripted this year.
It is working with prolific Northern Irish comedian Ciaran Bartlett to develop a number of drama series. Bartlett has written shows including BBC Northern Ireland’s Tight Shorts and Soft Border Patrol as well as Rte sitcom Homebirds and is also working with BBC Studios on a sitcom.
Stellify Media’s Joint Managing Director Kieran Doherty (left) started his career writing for BBC series including Sesame Tree, Teethgrinder and Jim Henson’s Pajanimals before moving into the non-scripted side of the business. He told Deadline, “I started as a writer,...
- 5/10/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
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