SPT Takes on Multiplatform Rights to Rocketboom

CULVER CITY, August 5:
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has acquired the worldwide cross-platform
distribution rights to Rocketboom.com, an online New York-based daily video
news program, with plans to integrate the property with Crackle.com.

SPT will manage
Rocketboom’s current distribution agreements and increase the program’s reach
across all platforms. Rocketboom’s integration with Crackle.com will include
putting the daily show on its site, presenting the program with a Crackle
player on the Rocketboom website and distributing the property over Crackle’s
syndication network, including direct to Sony BRAVIA TVs via BRAVIA Internet
Video Link and mobile partners. SPT will also handle all ad sales for the
program.

Providing a host of
information and commentary ranging from top news stories to off-beat Internet
culture, Rocketboom is distributed online for Macs, PCs and portables; RSS
aggregators like Google Reader, Bloglines, iTunes and Miro; iTV software and
boxes like TiVo, Apple-TV, Pando and TVTonic; flash sites such as YouTube,
Metacafe, MySpace, Yahoo!, Blip and Viddler via TubeMogul; P2P sites such as
Vuze; phone sites, including iPhone and Nokia N-series phones; and in various
languages around the world via Dotsub.

"Rocketboom is a
pioneer in the video blog space and millions of viewers flock to it for its
irreverent entertainment," said Michael Arrieta, the executive VP of
digital distribution and mobile entertainment for SPT. "We're thrilled to
have it in our portfolio and to take it to the next level."

"We believe Sony
Pictures Entertainment's experience as a TV and film company, and their
established prowess as a distribution and ad sales partner, bring an
unparalleled level of resources and infrastructure to a company like
ours," said Andrew Baron, the creator of Rocketboom. "We also believe
in Sony Pictures Television's overall strategy for the future and think they
are a step ahead."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski