Nebula (streaming service)
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Type of site | Video on demand |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | May 23, 2019 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Owners | Standard; Curiosity Stream has minority share |
| Founder(s) | Dave Wiskus |
| CEO | Dave Wiskus |
| Total equity | $50+ million |
| Website | nebula |
| Registration | Subscription required to access entire library. |
| Current status | Active |
Nebula is a global independent video-on-demand streaming service provider. Nebula was started by founder Dave Wiskus and the creators within the Standard creator community and is meant to complement creators' other distribution channels, namely YouTube and podcast platforms.[1] It is owned as a joint venture between Standard and the creators with a minority holding by Curiosity Stream,[2] and profit is divided 50/50 between the creators and Standard, with the creator pool paid out based on watch time.[3]
History
The idea for Nebula was started and discussed as part of the Standard creator community discussions online and at VidCon, and Nebula launched on May 23, 2019, with about 75 creators.[1] Nebula has grown substantially since starting, with over 140 creators who together have over 120 million collective YouTube subscribers, and reaching over 350,000 subscribers as of August 2021,[2] making it one of the most successful YouTube rival platforms.[4] The service was nominated for best Influencer Campaign in the 10th Annual Streamy Awards.[5] and Best Creator Product in the 11th Annual Streamy Awards.[6] They have had a long-standing promotion with Curiosity Stream to promote a bundle subscription for both services, which has led to a substantial growth in parts of both services,[7][8] and it was announced in September 2021 that Curiosity Stream bought a minority share of Nebula, valuing the company at over $50 million.[2]
Programming
Nebula currently has over 140 creators and channels, with most of the content also on YouTube or podcast platforms, but there are also Nebula Originals that are made by one or more creators and is only available on the platform. Most creators have some original content only on the platform and most of the content on the platform is sponsorship free unlike the same videos on YouTube, and there are also no ads on the platform.[3] Nebula's parent company Standard also launched an in-house production company Standard Studios to help its creators with production, editing, and graphics for both Nebula Originals and videos that are also hosted both on Nebula and elsewhere.[9] The streaming service is mostly promoted through content creators promoting the site on their other platforms, as it does not pay to advertise elsewhere or have any publicists on staff.[10][11]
Nebula's video content library is categorized in these categories: Animation, Explainers, Film & TV, Gaming, History, Music, Originals, Science & Engineering, Technology, and Writing. Some of its better known creators include Marques Brownlee, Jordan Harrod, City Beautiful, Hbomberguy, Lindsay Ellis, LegalEagle, Austin McConnell, MinuteEarth, Tom Scott, Extra Credits, Adam Neely, Volksgeist, and Wendover Productions. Many of these creators are also some of the top Patreon earners,[12] and have been called the "Smart Youtuber Mafia".[4] Nebula also doubles as a podcast platform with various audio podcasts, mostly by the same creators as its video content. Nebula is accessible through multiple platforms, including computers, smartphones, tablets, or other smart devices via a modern web browser, or their iOS, Apple TV, Roku, and Android apps. FireTV and other device apps are being actively developed but not yet available.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hale, James (June 10, 2019). "Creators Can't Always Take Risks With Their Content. That's Why YouTuber Community Standard Built Nebula — A Platform For Its Creators To Experiment.". https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/06/10/standard-nebula-youtube-streaming-service/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Curiosity Invests in Nebula, World's Largest Creator-Owned Streaming Platform". BUSINESS WIRE. September 2, 2021. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005465/en/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "FAQ". https://watchnebula.com/faq.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Molloy, David (March 6, 2021). "Why popular YouTubers are building their own sites". BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55349255.
- ↑ "10TH ANNUAL NOMINEES & WINNERS - The Streamy Awards". Streamy Awards. https://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/10th-annual-nominees/.
- ↑ "11TH ANNUAL NOMINEES & WINNERS - The Streamy Awards". Streamy Awards. https://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/11th-annual-nominees/.
- ↑ Ben Munson, "CuriosityStream claims more than 13M paid subscribers", Fierce Video, January 22, 2020
- ↑ "CuriosityStream & Nebula FAQ". Curiosity Stream. December 12, 2020. https://help.curiositystream.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034158291-CuriosityStream-Nebula-FAQ.
- ↑ Hale, James (February 22, 2021). "Creator Community Standard Launches In-House Studio Offering Production Resources To All Digital Creators". https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/02/22/standard-studios-production-resources-digital-creators-freelance/.
- ↑ VanDerWerff, Emily (April 4, 2020). "Quibi — the new short-form streaming service for your phone — explained". https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/4/6/21206225/what-is-quibi-streaming-service-phone-review-bad.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hale, James (July 24, 2020). "Creator-Owned Streaming Service Nebula Hits 100,000 Monthly Paying Subscribers". https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/24/nebula-hundred-thousand-users-youtube-streaming-service/.
- ↑ "Top Patreon Video". Graphtreon LLC. September 2, 2021. https://graphtreon.com/top-patreon-creators/video.
External links
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