We all know the usual streaming service tricks to make more money: get more subscribers, charge those subscribers more money, and sell ads. But science streaming service Curiosity Stream is taking a new path that could change the approach of streaming companies, especially niche optionstry to survive.
Discovery Channel founder John Hendricks launched Curiosity Stream in 2015. The streaming service costs $40 a year and is ad-free.
The streaming business has expanded to include the Curiosity Channel. CuriosityStream Inc. also makes money through Curiosity University's original programming and education programs. The company achieved its first positive net income in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, after approximately ten years of operation.
Focused on science, history, exploration and education, Curiosity Stream will always be a smaller player compared to other streaming services. As of March 2023, Curiosity Stream had 23 million subscribers, a tiny user base compared to Netflix's 301.6 million users (as of January 2025).
However, in an extremely competitive market, Curiosity Stream's third-quarter 2025 revenue grew 41 percent year over year. earnings announced this month. This was largely due to the licensing of the original Curiosity Stream program for training large language models (LLMs).
“Looking at our year-to-date numbers, licensing brought in $23.4 million through September, which… is already more than half of what our subscription business brought in for all of 2024,” said Philip Hayden, Curiosity Stream's chief financial officer. during a conversation with investors this month.
So far, Curiosity Stream has completed 18 artificial intelligence projects “across video, audio and code assets” with nine partners, the October announcement said.
The company expects to generate more revenue from intellectual property licensing deals with artificial intelligence companies than from subscriptions by 2027, “possibly sooner,” CEO Clint Stinchcomb said on an earnings conference call.
