Crackle is now 100% dead

Andyross

In a final blow to fans of free ad-supported streaming, Crackle, one of the pioneering platforms in the cord-cutting era, has officially ceased operations, with its website now completely offline. The shutdown follows the tumultuous collapse of its parent company, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which declared bankruptcy last week, marking the end of a 20-year journey for the once-beloved service.

https://cordcuttersnews.com/the-free-streaming-service-crackle-shuts-down-its-website-as-chicken-soup-for-the-soul-entertainment-collapses/

Larchman

It simply could not make it. Licensing fees and other expenses were not met by ad revenue.

rexbinary

I like Pluto TV for free ad-supported streaming. I wonder how they are doing financially?

telcodad

rexbinary I like Pluto TV for free ad-supported streaming. I wonder how they are doing financially?

According to Google AI Overview:

Pluto TV is a profitable business that generates substantial revenue, exceeding $1 billion annually. It’s owned by Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS).

lesmikesell

telcodad Oh, I guess ‘owned by Paramount’ explains why I was able to find an episode of ‘Tracker’ on Pluto when I forgot to record it.

There is also Sling TV’s freestream with a ton of channels, oddly including some Stingray Qello music channels. You get them with or without paying for any of their packages but you can’t record the Qello concerts. Plex has a lot of free streaming too.