Sony Pictures Television Minisodes, four to six minute versions of classic TV shows, launched this summer on MySpace with advertising from Honda. On Monday, the Minisodes began playing on Crackle, a Sony website that started this summer that plays a variety of entertainment content, with advertising from Pepsi.
“Phase one launched this summer with an exclusive distribution partner and advertiser,” said Amy Carney, president of ad sales at Sony Pictures Television. “Phase two is a broader distribution with additional advertisers.” Pepsi is the exclusive sponsor on Crackle. Honda will continue to sponsor the programming on two other new distribution platforms, AOL and Joost, Carney said. The shows will also play without advertising on V Cast, Verizon Wireless’s mobile video service.
Pepsi is running a 15 second spot on Crackle that was created by Sony Pictures Television. The spot features a retro bottle cap and can that supports Pepsi’s campaign that will feature new retro packages in stores beginning Nov. 4. The retro can is the latest installment in an initiative that began in February that updates Pepsi’s packaging graphics. A unique URL found on the can links directly to the Minisode network on Crackle.
“It is meant to transport the consumer back in time,” said Michelle Naughton, a Pepsi spokesperson. “When these shows originally aired, our consumers could watch them while drinking a Pepsi. Today, they’re able to do the same. The Minisode Network is a great partner. The combination of our can with this site provides a full nostalgic experience.”
Crackle is the site that was formerly www.Grouper.com, which was purchased by Sony Pictures last year.
Josh Felser, president of Crackle, said the site is currently running Minisodes for six shows as one of the channels on the site, which is clickable on the home page. There are 18 shows in the Minisode network and he said more will be added on Crackle later.
The site plays ads after three videos have been viewed, so the Pepsi ad won’t play as a pre-roll, unless viewers have seen three other Crackle videos before playing a Minisode.
Crackle will promote the Minisodes on its home page and in newsletters to its regular viewers. The content will also play on syndicated partner sites, including Hi5.com and Piczo.com. It also plays on Sony BRAVIA TVs.
When asked how long the Minisodes will play, Felser said, “It depends how they do. It’s programming that needs to be profitable. We’ll run it as long as users are excited.” It was a big success on MySpace, with over three million views.
Review: Writer-Director Mark Anthony Green’s “Opus”
In the new horror movie "Opus," we are introduced to Alfred Moretti, the biggest pop star of the '90s, with 38 No. 1 hits and albums as big as "Thriller," "Hotel California" and "Nebraska." If the name Alfred Moretti sounds more like a personal injury attorney from New Jersey, that's the first sign "Opus" is going to stumble.
John Malkovich leans into his regular off-kilter creepy to play the unlikely pop star at the center of this serious misfire by the A24 studio, a movie that also manages to pull "The Bear" star Ayo Edebiri back to earth. How both could be totally miscast will haunt your dreams.
Writer-director Mark Anthony Green has created a pretty good premise: A massive pop star who went quiet for the better part of three decades reemerges with a new album — his 18th studio LP, called "Caesar's Request" — and invites a select six people to come to his remote Western compound for an album listening weekend. It's like a golden ticket.
Edebiri's Ariel is a one of those invited. She's 27, a writer for a hip music magazine who has been treading water for three years. She's ambitious but has no edge. "Your problem is you're middle," she's told. Unfortunately, her magazine boss is also invited, which means she's just a note-taker. Edebiri's self-conscious, understated humor is wasted here.
It takes Ariel and the rest of the guests — an influencer, a paparazzo, a former journalist-nemesis and a TV personality played by Juliette Lewis, once again cast as the frisky sexpot — way too much time to realize that Moretti has created a cult in the desert. And they're murderous. This is Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" crossed with Mark Mylod's "The Menu."
It's always a mistake to get too close a look at the monster in a horror... Read More