We all know the usual tricks streaming services use to make more money: get more subscribers, charge those subscribers more money, and sell advertising. But science streaming service Curiosity Stream is taking a new path that could reshape the way streaming companies, especially niche options, try to survive.
Discovery Channel founder Jon Hendricks launched Curiosity Stream in 2015. The streaming service costs $40 per year, and does not contain ads.
The streaming business has grown and also includes the Curiosity Channel TV channel. CuriosityStream Inc. It also makes money through original programming and its Curiosity University educational programming. After nearly a decade in business, the firm posted its first positive net income in its fiscal Q1 2025.
With a focus on science, history, research, and education, Curiosity Stream will always be a small player compared to other streaming services. As of March 2023, Curiosity Stream had 23 million subscribers, a modest user base compared to Netflix’s 301.6 million (as of January 2025).
Still, in a fiercely competitive market, Curiosity Stream’s revenue surged 41 percent year over year in its third-quarter 2025 earnings announced this month. This was largely due to the licensing of Curiosity Stream’s original programming to train large language models (LLMs).
“Looking at our year-to-date data, licensing generated $23.4 million in the year to September, which is more than half of what we generated from our subscription business in all of 2024,” Curiosity Stream CFO Philip Hayden said during a call with investors this month.
So far, Curiosity Stream has completed 18 AI-related fulfillments “across video, audio and code assets” with nine partners, an October announcement said.
The company expects to earn more revenue from IP licensing deals with AI companies than from subscriptions by 2027, “possibly earlier,” CEO Clint Stinchcomb said during an earnings call.