Video streaming service
Gaia, Inc. is an American media company founded in 1988 by Jirka Rysavy in Louisville, Colorado. It owns and operates Gaia TV, a over-the-top subscription video on-demand service consisting of original and licensed alternative media documentaries. While content on Gaia TV initially focused on yoga, mindfulness, and alternative medicine to complement the company's yoga equipment distribution business, the latter's divestiture led to a greater emphasis on content promoting conspiracy theories and pseudoscience.[3] The service has been criticized and deplatformed from social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube for hosting videos promoting vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories such as the Illuminati, UFOs, and Atlantis.[4][5][6]
As of September 13, 2018[update] Gaia TV had over 500,000 subscribers in 185 countries.[7]
History
Gaia was founded in 1988 by Czechoslovakian-born entrepreneur Jirka Rysavy.[8] Originally branding itself as a yoga equipment brand, Gaia sold mail-order exercise videos and alternative medicine products.[9]
Gaia began several acquisition and merging endeavors in the early 2000s. In 2001, Gaia merged with the Californian company Real Goods Solar, a residential and commercial solar power integrator with a focus on off-the-grid living.[10] Gaia continued expansion and in 2003 bought a 50.1% share in its UK distributor Leisure Systems International (LSI).[11] In 2005, Gaia acquired the media assets of GoodTimes Entertainment and Jetlag Productions.[12] The company additionally acquired both Lime TV[13] and Zaadz.com[14] in 2007 to start what was called the LOHAS network (LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability).[14]
In 2011, Gaia launched Gaia TV, a streaming service for videos on yoga, meditation, and fringe science.[15] The company acquired Vivendi Entertainment, a DVD distributor from Vivendi subsidiary Universal Music Group Distribution, merging it with its home entertainment division to form Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment.[16][17]
In 2016, Sequential Brands Group purchased the Gaiam brand and yoga equipment unit for $167 million. Gaia subsequently rebranded themselves, focusing solely on its alternative media streaming service. Over the next three years, the service would increase in popularity. In 2019, USA Today ranked Gaia, Inc as the world's fastest-growing retailer,[18] spending up to 120% of its revenue on advertising.[19]
Gaia added live streaming events from a new event center at its Louisville, Colorado campus in 2019.[20][21][22] Events are live streamed in 185 countries with simultaneous translation.[23]
In February 2021, Business Insider published an investigative piece detailing workplace harassment and concerns about the surveillance of Gaia employees by the company.[24] These concerns stemmed from Gaia offering blood tests offered to employees, as well as unsupported reports that CEO Rysavy had installed 'a machine' on the roof of Gaia headquarters to 'psychically monitor employees.'[24] Gaia and Rysavy have also been accused of manipulating the building's energy using crystals.
In November 2021, American singer and actor Demi Lovato became the first celebrity ambassador for Gaia. Lovato announced via their Instagram that they were partnering with Gaia, stating, "Thrilled to be a Gaia ambassador, understanding the world around us (the known and the unknown) is so exciting to me!"[25][26][27][28] Lovato came under scrutiny for the partnership from fans due to Gaia's controversial content.[29]
Programming
Gaia's content library encompasses over 8,000 films on a variety of alternative media subjects, ranging from yoga and meditation to alternative medicine and conspiracy theories.[30] Many of its documentaries endorse pseudoscience such as divination, metaphysics, astrology, pseudoarchaeology, alchemy, and mysticism.[31][32][33] Its coverage of alternative medicine includes videos on energy healing, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda, and time travel. While some of these discuss nutrition in the context of mainstream principles such as balanced diets, many also make disputed claims on subjects such as detoxification, superfoods, and the Paleolithic diet. Several such videos were the result of a controversial partnership with Mayo Clinic.[34]
Lawsuit and accusations of Luciferianism
In 2018, conspiracy theorist David Wilcock left Gaia. After his departure, his resignation letter was brought to public attention, supposedly claiming Gaia was spreading "Lucifer propaganda." These accusations generated a substantial amount of hate mail and death threats toward employees at Gaia. Wilcock eventually apologized to Gaia, and stated in his apology letter that his words were taken out of context and were meant to remain internal.[24][35]
That same year, Patty Greer, a filmmaker formerly contracted by Gaia, accused the company of "promoting Luciferianism and using directed-energy weapons against critics."[36][37][38][39] Greer claims she was attacked with a "directed energy weapon" in the Phoenix, Arizona airport in 2017.[30] In addition, Greer alleged her films were intentionally removed from the Gaia website. She stated that her refusal to sign a non-disclosure agreement involved in regaining distribution rights to her films ultimately led to her content being intentionally removed from the site.[30]
Following numerous[clarification needed] videos and posts from Greer claiming Gaia was infiltrated by satanists and reptilians,[38] Gaia sued Greer for slander. Gaia claimed that Greer was retaliating after a decline in viewership of her videos hosted on Gaia's streaming services.[30]
In response to the lawsuit, Greer defended herself by saying she "simply reports" on what she read and heard from sources and that she was given information from Gaia employees under the username #GEM (which stands for 'Gaia Employee Movement').[35] Many of the reports Greer received included the same claims from David Wilcock's resignation letter, which alleged satanists had infiltrated Gaia.[38]
On December 14, 2018, the case was dismissed without prejudice, noting that Greer had not been served. On December 27, Gaia filed another lawsuit against Greer, seeking one million in damages.[40] The lawsuit was settled in 2019, and Greer posted an apology to her website as part of a settlement agreement and removed all of the content surrounding Gaia and #GEM.[35]
US$66.827 million (fiscal year ending 31 December 2020)[1]