Crackle Lines Up Original Drama Based on Guy Ritchie’s Snatch

NEW YORK: At Crackle’s upfront presentation, Sony’s streaming service announced an array of new offerings, including some in the virtual reality space and a drama series based on the feature film Snatch.

Crackle is prepping a new 10×1-hour series based on Snatch. Informed by a real-life heist in London, the drama centers on a group of twentysomething, up-and-coming hustlers who stumble upon a truck load of stolen gold bullion and are thrust into the high-stakes world of organized crime.

The service has another 10×1-hour original drama coming soon, StartUp, which will debut in the fall. Produced by Critical Content and Hollywood Gang Productions, the series stars Martin Freeman, Adam Brody, Edi Gathegi and Otmara Marrero. StartUp explores what happens when a brilliant, yet controversial tech idea gets incubated on the wrong side of the tracks by three strangers who don’t necessarily fit the mold of “tech entrepreneurs.”

Production begins on May 2 on the new season of The Art of More, which marked Crackle’s first original drama. The series, set within the high-stakes world of auction houses, returns in Q4.

The second season of SuperMansion, the stop motion-animated comedy series from Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, will debut in early 2017. The show follows the adventures of Titanium Rex (voiced by Bryan Cranston, who’s also the series’ executive producer) as he struggles to live with and fight alongside the Millennial-aged, often lackadaisical members of The League of Freedom.

Crackle’s live weekly quiz show Sports Jeopardy!, with Dan Patrick, has landed a deal with NBCUniversal. The multiyear agreement between NBC Sports Group and Crackle will include 100 existing episodes of the series, plus any additional episodes. The series will air on NBCSN following the network’s nightly coverage of the Rio Olympics.

At the upfront Crackle also unveiled a new virtual reality strategy. Sony’s ad-supported streaming service will be the first-ever AVOD network to provide brands with advertising opportunities and marketing initiatives that take advantage of this latest disruptive technology. Crackle’s VR theater will allow viewers to stream their entire content library,including movies and original programs, in a fully-immersive viewing environment. The theater will allow marketers to skin it with advertiser logos and ads as well as integrate their own 360-degree commercials. In addition to the theater, Crackle ordered a VR special of its original stop-motion animated series SuperMansion. Crackle will also be producing extra VR content from its current slate of original programming that can be advertiser sponsored.

Also in the way of ad opportunities, Sony’s streaming network announced an ad solution for bingeing original series that replaces convention called “break-free advertising.” Instead of 300 ads over the course of a linear TV series, during a Crackle original with ten episodes, the viewer will only get five ads per episode. The same five advertisers will have a spot in each of the ten episodes.

Additionally, a series of new multiplex channels launched on Crackle today as part of its “Always On” platform. The free, ad-supported network presented seven distinct destinations reflecting the genres that appeal most to the Crackle audience. Spanning the categories of comedy, action, drama, thriller, sports, fandom and anime, the streaming network’s original content will anchor the channels, and after a channel is selected, programming is played just like on linear television.

Crackle’s general manager and executive VP of Sony Pictures Television Digital Networks, Eric Berger, said: “At Crackle, we believe that creating content and ad experiences that mirror changing consumer habits are instrumental for driving viewer attention. We’re charting a path for television with a sustainable ad model that is a win for the advertiser, the network and most importantly, the consumer.”