The history of Crackle, a free streaming service with advertisements, dates back to the early days of online video. One of the earliest cord-cutting services, it has since closed. This is a synopsis of Crackle’s past events.
Grouper’s early years (2004–2006)
Grouper, a business established in 2004 that specialized in peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and multimedia streaming, is where Crackle got its start. Platforms like YouTube were just starting to take off at this time, and online video was still in its infancy. Grouper sought to capitalize on the growing popularity of online video by offering a platform for users to share and find content.
From 2006 to 2018, Sony assumes control and rebrands.
Sony Pictures Entertainment saw the promise of Internet video distribution and paid $65 million to purchase Grouper in 2006. Grouper changed their name to Crackle a year later, concentrating on becoming a multiplatform video entertainment studio and network.
Crackle became a free, ad-supported streaming service with a collection of films and TV series while owned by Sony. Since user-generated material dominated the majority of internet video platforms at the time, this was a revolutionary idea. By offering access to Hollywood productions with ads, Crackle set itself apart.
Growth and Development (2011–2019)
By releasing apps for a variety of gadgets, such as Sony Blu-ray players, Roku boxes, Bravia TVs, and PlayStation 3, Crackle broadened its audience. Additionally, it collaborated with Xbox Live to make its content available on the Xbox 360.
Even with original shows like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Sony made significant investments in the service.
The service was rebranded as Sony Crackle in 2018 to better reflect its parent corporation. But a year later, Sony sold Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment the bulk of Crackle, and the name was changed back to Crackle.
Today’s Crackle
Crackle was shut down by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment this week, or more precisely, it was just allowed to cease operations. The website is still up, but it doesn’t play because the business is going bankrupt and will soon close. This occurs as a result of its parent company’s financial collapse following a massive debt load associated with the acquisition of Redbox.
The demise of one of the pioneering services that contributed to the introduction of cord cutting is a sad one for what was once one of the most well-known cord cutting services available.
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