Sony Relaunches Grouper

SAUSALITO, July 16: Sony Pictures Entertainment is
relaunching Grouper, the user-generated content site it acquired last August,
as Crackle, a streaming entertainment network that aims to find, and develop,
emerging talent for online, TV and film projects.

"Crackle's irreverent editorial team, with a little
help from our viewers, programs our provocative and entertaining channels for
an audience of 25 million monthly unique users,” said Josh Felser, the founder
and co-president of Crackle. “We reward the best video creators with Crackle
funding, promotion, syndication and even greater exposure to our large media
partners. Great content surfaced from our open studio model is the key to our
success.”

Sean Carey, the senior executive VP of Sony Pictures, added:
"Crackle will provide this next wave of creative talent a forum that will
give them the exposure and recognition they seek and deserve."

The site’s initiatives include a regular contest on Wet
Paint, Crackle's edgy animation channel. Winners will receive a cash prize and
fly to Los Angeles to pitch Sony Pictures Animation executives for a chance to
have their animated short theatrically released. Additionally, winners will be
invited by the visual effects and animation company Sony Pictures Imageworks to
attend Siggraph, the computer graphics conference, in August 2008.

In addition, a Crackle Studios development deal and a pitch
meeting with Columbia Pictures will be awarded on Shorts, Crackle's short film
channel. Quarterly contest winners will receive funding from Crackle Studios to
develop and produce short-form material for Crackle distribution. Winners will
also fly to Los Angeles to pitch their feature film concepts to Columbia
creative executives. A similar Crackle Studios development deal will also be
awarded on Moving Targets, Crackle's upcoming sketch variety channel. Quarterly
contest winners will receive Crackle funding and will meet with creative
executives from Sony Pictures Television.

The best emerging stand-up comedians spotlighted each month
on High Wire, Crackle's stand-up comedy channel, will win a chance to be
featured at the IMPROV comedy clubs. They will have an opportunity to pitch
their comedy shorts to creative executives of the IMPROV Comedy Lab, a new
comedy centric broadband content studio. And one contest winner will have the
chance to fly either to Los Angeles, New York or Chicago to perform a 15-minute
set on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night at the IMPROV.

Furthermore, Crackle offers multiplatform, global
syndication network across Sony devices, IPTV, social networks and web
distribution, including MySpace, Facebook and AOL.

Crackle has already secured the exclusive, worldwide distribution
rights to Mr. Deity, a comedy from
writer/director Brian Dalton. The 10 episodes currently on the site have
received over 5.7 million views since March 2007. Crackle has committed to an
additional 10 episodes for premiere in Moving Targets, the upcoming sketch
variety channel.