Bill Rouhana Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Addie Morfoot Contributor A number of directors are pursuing litigation against the digital indie film distributor 1091 Pictures for failing to make promised revenue-sharing payments after selling their films to the platform, now owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Helmers are scrambling to reclaim distribution rights to their work out of fear that 1091 Pictures’ parent company could declare bankruptcy. Filmmakers say they are owed their share of distribution revenue from licensing deals with 1091 but Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has not come through with payments.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor A media consultant sued Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, alleging he is owed “at least several million dollars” for work he did related to the company’s $370 million acquisition in 2022 of Redbox, the DVD kiosk and streaming company. Keith Knee, described in his legal complaint as an advisory and consulting services professional in the media industry, filed suit against Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment on Friday, April 19, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, whose $375 million acquisition of Redbox closed about a year ago, delivered second-quarter financial results reflecting the company’s struggle to fully digest the deal.

Billing it as an industry first, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has launched a reward program across its entire streaming ecosystem in partnership with Italy-based social media and entertainment app TaTaTu.

Chicken Soup For The Soul, owner of Redbox, Crackle and Screenvision and the self-described largest purveyor of content to” value-conscious consumers,” saw sales soar to $110 million in the first quarter from $29 million. TVOD revenue is picking up, CEO Bill Rouhana told Wall Streeters, a precursor to a run on Redbox movie kiosks given the improved Hollywood pipeline.  

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s stock plunged more than 40% in early trading Friday after the parent company of Redbox, Crackle and Screen Media announced a capital raise and reported fourth-quarter net losses.

EXCLUSIVE: As crucial movie rental revenue finally starts to return, Redbox and Crackle parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is taking steps to tighten its corporate belt.

EXCLUSIVE: Bill Rouhana, CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, will wait as long as it takes — years even — for the right M&A transaction to come together. Two elements must fall into place, in his words: “industrial logic” and “financial excellence.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which earlier this month closed its $375 million acquisition of Redbox, has set the combined company’s new senior management roster.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorSmall independent TV companies are an endangered species at a time when media’s largest conglomerates are focused on the streaming wars and global expansion.The latest episode of the Variety podcast “Strictly Business” features separate conversations with two such business leaders: Paula Madison, CEO of The African Channel, and Bill Rouhana, chairman-CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which owns Crackle and other AVOD channels.Both CEOs spoke with