Today, Sony announced the exciting details of a new “Always On” experience for Sony Crackle that will take advantage of Adobe Primetime’s audience-based selling capabilities across IP-connected screens and tight integration with other products in the Adobe Marketing Cloud, such as Adobe Audience Manager and Adobe Analytics.

Sony Crackle is a multi-platform video entertainment network that streams full-length Hollywood movies, TV shows and original web shows to viewers for free. Its innovative new design combines the curated experience of on-demand streaming with the simplicity of an “Always On” programmed TV experience. As soon as a viewer launches the new Crackle, a scheduled program will immediately begin playing. Consumers can watch what’s currently playing or browse for something that suits them even better in the newly created channel guide.

Sony Crackle’s hybrid programmed and on-demand experience is revolutionary. Most TV viewing experiences focus on either a really good on-demand experience or a really good programmed experience. Crackle has struck a unique balance between the two experiences. Its new “Always On” experience will roll out exclusively on the Roku platform in May and expand to cover a variety of other platforms throughout the summer. The service comes at a time when over-the-top (OTT) video consumption is surging. Premium video viewing on OTT devices has increased 350 percent year-over-year. And OTT devices and game consoles are the fasting growing TV Everywhere platforms. (LINK)

Sony has partnered with Adobe to power key aspects of Sony Crackle’s playback, personalization and ad measurement. The Primetime TV SDK will ensure HD content playback, seamless transitions between content and ads across all programmed and on-demand streams, and scalability across platforms beginning with Roku. The integration between Adobe Primetime and Adobe Audience Manager will help Sony refine audience segmentation, reduce ad impression waste by 40-50% and serve content that is based on the viewer’s interest. The integration between Adobe Primetime and Adobe Analytics will be used to measure ads consistently beyond the desktop and across all platforms. Overall, the technology is in place for a multi-platform TV viewing experience that viewers want to spend time with, that advertisers want to advertise on, and that drives effective monetization for Adobe.

The Adobe Primetime team is especially excited about the positive impact this partnership will have on viewers and advertisers. Viewers will get a free, targeted, personalized “Always On” viewing experience to enjoy TV content wherever, whenever they want while Sony’s refined audience segments will help advertisers reach the specific audiences that will elevate their campaign success.

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE)