Beloved Publishing Megabrand ‘Chicken Soup for The Soul’ Brings Its Original Mission of “Changing Your World One Story at The Time” To Linear FAST Platforms Ahead of Full AVOD Launch
Cos Cob, CT – Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE), one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks, announced today the launch of its new free ad-supported streaming service, Chicken Soup for the Soul, which is now available as a FAST channel on Plex, FreeCast, and Redbox, with LG Channels, Stirr, XUMO, and VIZIO’s free streaming service WatchFree joining in December.
Additional platforms will roll out prior to the launch of a full Chicken Soup for the Soul AVOD offering, which will be available in coming weeks. The Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service will carry thousands of hours of women’s lifestyle content as well as thousands of TV shows and movies.
The Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service will feature a robust collection of the best in home (such as Smart Home Nation), weddings (Rich Bride, Poor Bride & Wedding SOS), food (Ciao Italia and Pitchin’ In), DIY, style, travel, reality (Yummy Mummies) as well as stories from everyday heroes, in addition to classic favorites across genres like Drama, True Crime, Thrillers, Comedy and Screen Legends. The service will also feature the award-winning content that Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has been creating for years for networks like TLC, Discovery Life, Discovery Family, A&E, CBS, The CW and Netflix such as Animal Tales, Hidden Heroes, Vacation Rental Potential, Project Dad and the award-winning series Going From Broke.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul has been the world’s favorite storyteller since 1993, so I’m thrilled that we are continuing to enlighten and entertain our fans, now through TV and films,” said Amy Newmark, author, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. “Our brand stands for hope, inspiration, and all the best in humanity, and our fans know that when content is brought to them by Chicken Soup for the Soul they will have a great experience.”
“With the addition of Chicken Soup for the Soul to our family of AVOD networks, Crackle Plus expands its audience to millions of primarily female viewers, providing our advertisers and marketing partners a hard-to-reach and underserved audience in the AVOD market,” said Philippe Guelton, president of Crackle Plus.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul has been a household name for decades and their much beloved content will resonate with SmartCast audiences,” said Katherine Pond, vice president of business development at Vizio. “We’re pleased to be expanding our distribution partnership with Crackle Plus and to be working together to deliver even more content that viewers will love.”
“Plex is always looking for ways to broaden our content offering to keep our fans coming back again and again,” said Keith Valory, CEO of Plex. “The comforting and inspiring films and TV shows under the Chicken Soup for the Soul banner are a great addition to our lineup, especially as we head into the holiday season.”
“As an organization that focuses on delivering local, live and authentic free TV across multiple platforms, STIRR sees their relationship with Crackle Plus, one of the longest-running ad-supported networks in the industry as a perfect fit,” said Ben Lister, director of content acquisition and business development at STIRR. “Giving our audience access to the new Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service is a great way for us to work together and strengthen both brands.”
“Chicken Soup for the Soul is an indelible brand with tremendous appeal to XUMO users,” noted Stefan Van Engen, SVP of programming and partnerships at XUMO. “The debut of this dedicated programming on XUMO brings a wealth of high caliber, engaging content that is certain to attract millions of fans, old and new.”
“Chicken Soup for the Soul is a wonderful addition to SelectTV. We're always looking to add high-quality content, and it's even more exciting for our customers when we can partner with a familiar and recognizable brand," said Tracy West, executive vice president of digital content and channel distribution for FreeCast, which operates SelectTV.
The Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service joins Crackle Plus’s family of free, on-demand offerings including Crackle, Popcornflix and Truli. As part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Crackle Plus uniquely sources its original content from sister companies Screen Media Ventures, a leading content distribution company; Landmark Studio Group, a production company of premium scripted and unscripted content; Halcyon Television, led by industry veteran David Ellender; and the recently-acquired Sonar Entertainment library of 700 movies and 1800 TV episodes, which have earned a total of 446 Emmy Nominations, 104 Emmy Awards and 15 Golden Globes.
Crackle Plus streaming services are currently distributed through 50 touch points in the U.S. with announced plans to expand to more than 64 touch points including Amazon FireTV, RokuTV, Apple TV, Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio), gaming consoles (PS4 and XBoxOne), Plex, iOS and Android mobile devices and on desktops at Crackle.com. Crackle is also available in approximately 500,000 hotel rooms in the Marriott Bonvoy chain.