Ashton Kutcher’s A Plus Acquired by Chicken Soup for the Soul

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (CSS Entertainment) has acquired A Plus, the digital media company co-founded and chaired by Ashton Kutcher.

Through the deal, Kutcher received shares for his portion of the company, increasing his stake in CSS Entertainment. The growing media company builds online VOD networks that provide video content for all screens. The company also curates, produces and distributes long- and short-form video content.

“The full integration of A Plus and CSS Entertainment makes perfect sense to further CSS Entertainment’s content creation and distribution strategies,” said Kutcher. “I look forward to working with the team to continue to grow CSS Entertainment with A Plus as a wholly-owned part of the company.”

William J. Rouhana, Jr., chairman and CEO of CSS Entertainment, added: “Our historic relationship with A Plus has greatly benefited our company, as we used A Plus’s ability to generate video views to help attract major advertisers to sponsor our television series. As we ramp up series production, we expect to rely even more heavily on the A Plus distribution capability. By eliminating video view distribution costs, this acquisition is expected to result in $5 million of cost savings in 2019 and will enhance our ability to increase the commitments we make to advertisers and increase our number of original series.”

“The net result of this transaction is the elimination of current liabilities and intercompany transactions, offsetting any cash considerations,” Rouhana continued. “We have streamlined our corporate structure and stand to fully benefit from the tremendous distribution reach that A Plus adds. In addition, we have deepened our longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship with Ashton Kutcher.”