Acura Sponsors Crackle's 'Comedians in Cars'

Autos to be integrated into Jerry Seinfeld's online series

By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/5/2013 1:33:47 PM

Crackle, Sony Pictures Entertainment's online video entertainment network, said it signed auto brand Acura as sole sponsor of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, the Web series created by and starring Jerry Seinfeld.

Acura will sponsor 24 new episodes of the show during 2013 and 2014. Acura products, including the new Acura MDX, will be integrated into the series.

The deal follows the digital media NewFronts, in which online video platforms including Crackle, presented their shows to media buyers the same way TV networks do in a bid to capture a larger share of ad spending.

"Crackle is a big priority at SPE and the studio has had a long, successful relationship with Jerry, so Comedians in Cars is very important to us," Eric Berger, executive VP of digital networks for Sony Pictures Television and general manager of Crackle. "It's a great fit to have Acura on board and through our exclusive partnership, we will be working closely to engage millions of fans around the fun, simple pleasures of driving."

Seinfeld worked with Acura on a commercial that aired during the 2103 Super Bowl.

"We love Jerry's unconventional, fan-first approach of creating great content and trusting that the right people will find it," said Mike Accavitti, Acura senior VP of auto operations. "It is totally consistent with Acura's organic approach of putting the customer first and building the vehicle around them."

Comedian in Cars Getting Coffee has generated more than 10 million streams since it launched in July 2012.

"We at Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee are so glad a company we already admire has stepped forward to support us," Seinfeld in a statement.  "Not everyone understood what we were doing.  But like Moe Green who invented Las Vegas, Acura is a company of vision and guts.  We could not be more thrilled to have them as our sponsor. Because of them, we advance!"