Crackle Looks for Summer Sizzle
Sony Pictures' online video site unveils summer programming line-up heavy on comedy, music and videogaming
By Joel Topcik -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/9/2008 1:02:00 AM
It’s almost summer, which means the cable networks are once again getting ready to kick sand in the faces of the beleaguered broadcast networks with a blast of fresh programming to greet the seasonal viewer migration.
But this summer, Sony Pictures’ Crackle.com is looking to sizzle in its own right.
In a grab for viewers migrating away from linear TV altogether, the online video site is unveiling a “summer programming line-up” on June 9.
Aimed squarely at the young men who gobble up the Web’s bite-sized servings of video, Crackle’s line-up of short-form originals is heavy on humor, music and videogaming.
The Jace Hall Show, hosted by film, TV and videogame producer Jason “Jace” Hall, is a 13-part series that focuses on the intersection of entertainment and videogaming. In one episode, Hall (who has worked with Warner Bros. on the convergence of film and gaming) offers a sneak peak of the long-awaited game Duke Nukem Forever.
Take-Away Shows features edgy music videos of breaking acts performing stripped down versions of their songs.
Crackle’s stand-up comedy series Purple Onion is returning for a second season, with clips of Greg Proops, Patton Oswalt and other comics performing at the famous San Francisco club.
And C-Spot, the site’s sketch-comedy channel, will offer six new weekly series with new episodes premiering each day of the week.
If you’re looking for songs about the misuses of text-message lingo (Owen Benjamin Presents) or an animated series about two guinea pigs named Pee Pee and Buttercup traveling the country in a Winnebago (The Roadents), then you’ve got a killer summer ahead of you.
