ITV

Tag: Grouper

  • Sony’s Crackle inks exclusive content deal with NBCUniversal

    Sony’s Crackle inks exclusive content deal with NBCUniversal

    MUMBAI: Crackle – the free video streaming platform – backed by Sony Pictures Entertainment is strengthening its content library. It has now signed a deal with NBCUniversal for the exclusive rights to more than 140 movies over the next three years.

     

    The agreement will see movies such as Ray, Jarhead and the remake of King Kong that will be will be exclusively available on the service but won’t appear on other ad-supported distributors including television channels.

     

    This certainly cements the fact that Sony is much focused on improving its video streaming service, even after Crackle shut shop in UK beginning 1 April. This also shows its willingness to go against the grain of other streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu, which work primarily on subscription models.

     

    This move makes Crackle something of a hybrid, operating as a streaming service but making deals like a television channel. The acquisition of exclusive rights provides the service with what it hopes will be content that draws viewers.

     

    Since it is entirely supported by ads, Crackle’s strategy is to appear on as many platforms as possible. The streaming channel is currently on 27 different devices including gaming consoles, streaming set-top boxes and connected televisions.

     

    Crackle was formerly known as Grouper, which Sony bought in 2006 for $65 million. Its original iteration placed it in competition with YouTube more than streamers like Netflix. Sony decided to rebrand it as Crackle in 2007 as a streaming and movie TV library.

     

    Sony has struggled more broadly, spinning off its TV business and selling its computer division.

  • Sony Electronics focusses on transformation this year

    Sony Electronics focusses on transformation this year

    MUMBAI: Sony Electronics says that it is continuing its transformation into an entertainment powerhouse.

    At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas it has a 100,000 square-foot exhibit that brings together all of the company’s strengths from electronics, music and gaming to movies, television and online entertainment.

    In a press conference kicked off by Sony BMG Music Grammy award-winning musician Joshua Bell, several of the company’s US business leaders announced products and technologies related to four strategic growth areas — gaming, high definition, digital imaging and mobile products.

    Sony Electronics president and COO Stan Glasgow unveilled the company’s first Internet video system. He announced that in 2007 the majority of new Sony televisions — starting
    with several Bravia flat-panel LCD TVs this year– will accept an attachable module that can stream broadband high-definition and other Internet video content with the press of a remote control button. The module will be available this summer.

    Glasgow said, “While other companies struggle with standard definition, Sony has developed a scalable Internet HDTV solution with some notable partners providing content”. Those partners include AOL, Yahoo! and Grouper, now part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, as well as Sony Pictures itself and Sony BMG.

    Sony’s Xross Media Bar (XMB), an icon-based user interface similar to what is already found on Playstation 3 (PS3), PlayStation Portable
    and a recently introduced Sony A/V receiver, made its debut in conjunction with the Internet video demo.

    Glasgow also reported that Sony Electronics enjoyed strong holiday sales in the US, which have put the company on track for a year of double-digit growth.

    PlayStation: Sony claims to have shipped one million units of PS3, equipped with high-definition, Blu-ray disc drives, in the US by the end of December.

    More High Definition: Acknowledging its position in what the company calls ‘Full HD’ across practically every product category in both consumer and professional
    arenas Sony Electronics’ home products division senior VP Randy Waynick highlighted a continuum of HD technology from the lens
    to the living room.

    Waynick previewed a prototype 55-inch SXRD Grand Wega rear projection micro-display television with a new laser light engine
    technology that enhances color uniformity and brightness, while maintaining a slim profile.

    He also recounted the success of Sony’s Bravia flat-panel LCD line, which comprises 16 models ranging in size from 23- to 52-inch screens,
    before announcing the newest member of the family, a 70-inch 1080p HD television.

    The model features a new backlighting system and contrast ratio enhancements, as well as three HDMI inputs for full 1080p connectivity to
    the latest Blu-ray Disc players. It is also distinguished by its high refresh rate and x.v.Colour technology, which is Sony’s name for xvYCC, a new international standard in colour technology for personal video applications.