Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and Swirl Films joined forces to relaunch FrightPIX, a free ad-supported video-on-demand service, as a free channel that’s home to thousands of hours of zombies, thrillers, creepy crimes, and creature features.
Screen Media Ventures, a division of Chicken Soup for the Soul, will contribute hard-to-find and hard-to-watch terrifying horror content under the deal. Swirl Films will add independent films, produce original content for FrightPIX, and manage the platform.
FrightPIX has also launched its own YouTube channel and is available on other connected streaming platforms such as Roku and Xbox.
“As a consistent producer of thrilling content for networks, partnering with Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment on FrightPIX and having our own platform is a dream,” said Eric Tomosunas, chief executive officer of Swirl Films and FrightPIX. “FrightPIX allows us to continue to expand our content offerings and gives us the unique advantage to leverage our ability to produce quality content at lower price points for our platform.”
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment secured this joint venture with Swirl Films to drive revenue for its existing assets through third-party deals. The company disclosed financial troubles last December, stating it had “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue operating, which stemmed partly from its acquisition of Redbox. Forming joint ventures with streaming platforms is one way to turn things around, as ad revenue generated from free ad-supported streaming services is expected to reach $17 billion by 2029.
On January 29, Chicken Soup for the Soul partnered with Fuel TV to launch four free ad-supported streaming channels dedicated to action sports. Fuel TV Surf, Fuel TV Snow, Fuel TV Skate, and Fuel TV Bike will launch in the upcoming months and offer 250 hours of live events as well as 350 of exclusive content.
The company plans to secure more joint ventures to monetize its assets this year.
“Creepy content is one of the most popular genres for streaming audiences, not commonly available for advertisers, and we feel this new joint venture will enable us to fully realize the potential of our catalog and the FrightPIX brand,” said Elana Sofko, chief strategy officer of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. “That, combined with the exclusive original titles, will make it a must-watch destination for horror, thriller, and true crime fans.”
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is the parent company of Redbox, Crackle, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. It also runs Redbox Free Live TV, a free ad-supported service, TV on-demand, and DVD rentals.