Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is trying to attract Web-video auteurs with a pitch straight out of central casting: We're gonna make you a star, baby.
Sony today is relaunching the video-sharing site it bought last year, changing the name from Grouper to Crackle.
But the movie and TV studio is trying to separate Crackle from YouTube and the other amateur-video sites by dangling cash, a chance to perform stand-up at the Improv or a possible Oscar nomination in front of those who submit clips.
Online video is entering a new phase: The media companies that snapped up video start-ups over the last few years are now touting the possibility of the "big break" to attract more polished submissions than pratfalls and pet tricks.
For example, MTV Networks Entertainment Group recently encouraged people to submit their short-form video to "Test Pilots," a feature on the AtomFilms website it acquired last year.
The best six get a shot at appearing on "Web Shows," a half-hour show on MTV's Comedy Central cable network.
" 'I'm a star on Heavy.com' is not the same as 'I'm a star on Comedy Central,' " said Erik Flannigan, MTV's executive vice president of digital media, referring to a popular online video site.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. also is looking to scout the edgy talent that creates amateur video of dramatic spills or gross-out footage that young men can't seem to get enough of online. The independent movie studio last week invested an undisclosed amount in Break.com, taking a stake in the Beverly Hills-based online video company.
Break.com Chief Executive Keith Richman said his competitors appeared to be searching for a niche that would allow their Web-video ventures to flourish in the shadow of YouTube.
"With certain people emerging and having more scale, others are trying to find approaches to attract an audience," he said.
Sony acquired Sausalito, Calif.-based Grouper in August for $65 million. At the time, some questioned how a traditional media company would use the small site, which Nielsen/ NetRatings NetView said ranked 13th among online video sites in June.
The strategy is now clear: Sony will seek to elevate Crackle with a studio-centric approach of providing funding, promotion and syndication.
"There is so much video on the Internet now that it's crying out for a step up in quality," said Van Baker, research vice president of Gartner Inc. "That's just media companies doing what they do best, which is finding and distributing good content."
