Instant Soup: Hisense To Add Crackle Button to Smart TV Remotes

HIsense
Crackle channels will be coming to Hisense’s Roku-powered sets. (Image credit: Hisense)

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment said it made a deal with VIDAA USA to add a Crackle button to remote controls sold with Hisense smart TVs.

VIDAA USA, which manages the platform for Hisense, also agreed to add Chicken Soup for the Soul's free ad-supported streaming TV channels to the VIDAA platform in the coming weeks.

The deal provides more distribution for the Crackle Plus channels, and makes them easier for consumers to find the programming they offer.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Also: Chicken Soup for the Soul Launches Video On Demand App on Vizio Sets

"Providing the best free content in the simplest way to consumers is our mission at VIDAA. Which is why the partnership with Crackle is a great addition to our already large lineup of free VOD content as well as FAST channels," VIDAA USA VP of content Nick Ruczaj said. "We've also made the content easy to discover in our platform’s search engine and will be placing the streaming channels right alongside the broadcast TV networks in the programming guide," he added.

Also: Tremor International Makes $25 Million Investment in Hisense’s VIDAA

The VIDAA Smart TV OS is a Linux-based smart TV operating system and is embedded in millions of smart TV brands including Hisense, Toshiba, Loewe and Supersonic.

"Hisense is known for its high-quality televisions, which are affordable to cost-conscious consumers," Adam Mosam, chief digital officer of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, said. "The addition of the Crackle app on the VIDAA TV operating system and the remote button will help bring a whole new audience to our service. We have a wide range of amazing content which I know their consumers will enjoy." ■

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.