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Nebula
Nebula Logo.png
Type of site
Video on demand
Available inEnglish
FoundedMay 23, 2019; 3 years ago (2019-05-23)
Headquarters
United States
Area servedWorldwide
OwnersStandard Broadcast LLC; Curiosity Stream has minority share
Founder(s)Dave Wiskus
CEODave Wiskus
Total equity$50+ million
URLnebula.tv
RegistrationSubscription required to access entire library.
Current statusActive

Nebula is a video-on-demand streaming service provider. Nebula was founded by Dave Wiskus and Standard creators and is meant to complement creators' other distribution channels, namely YouTube and podcast platforms.[1][2] It is owned as a joint venture between Standard and the creators, with a minority holding by Curiosity Stream.[3] Profits from subscriptions are divided 50/50 between creators and Standard based on watch time.[4]

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 23 May 2019, with about 75 creators.[2] Nebula has grown substantially since starting, with over 140 creators who together have over 120 million collective YouTube subscribers[3] and reaching over 500,000 subscribers as of May 2022,[5] making it one of the most successful YouTube rival platforms.[6] The service was nominated for best Influencer Campaign in the 10th Annual Streamy Awards.[7] and Best Creator Product in the 11th Annual Streamy Awards.[8] They have had a long-standing promotion with Curiosity Stream to promote a bundle subscription for both services; it was announced in September 2021 that Curiosity Stream bought a minority share of Nebula, valuing the company at over $50 million.[3] In May 2022, Nebula Classes began hosting content creators' paid online courses.[5]

Programming

As of March 2022, Nebula has over 160 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 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 no ads on the platform.[4] 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 notable creators include Jordan Harrod, Hbomberguy, Lindsay Ellis, LegalEagle, MinuteEarth, Tom Scott, Extra Credits, Adam Neely, Rene Ritchie, RealLifeLore, Real Engineering, and Wendover Productions. Many of these creators are also some of the top Patreon earners,[12] and have been called the "smart YouTuber mafia".[6] 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, Fire TV, Android TV and Android apps. Other device apps are being actively developed but not yet available.[11]

References

  1. ^ Patel, Nilay (17 May 2022). "The videos that don't work on YouTube and the future of the creator business with Nebula CEO Dave Wiskus". The Verge. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b Hale, James (10 June 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". TubeFilter. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Curiosity Invests in Nebula, World's Largest Creator-Owned Streaming Platform". BusinessWire. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b "FAQ". WatchNebula. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Creator Streaming Service Nebula Pushes Into Online Classes". Business Insider. Insider Inc. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b Molloy, David (6 March 2021). "Why popular YouTubers are building their own sites". BBC.com. BBC. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  7. ^ "10TH ANNUAL NOMINEES & WINNERS – The Streamy Awards". Streamys.org. Streamy Awards. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  8. ^ "11TH ANNUAL NOMINEES & WINNERS – The Streamy Awards". Streamys.org. Streamy Awards. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  9. ^ Hale, James (22 February 2021). "Creator Community Standard Launches In-House Studio Offering Production Resources To All Digital Creators". TubeFilter. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  10. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (4 April 2020). "Quibi — the new short-form streaming service for your phone — explained". Vox. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  11. ^ a b Hale, James (24 July 2020). "Creator-Owned Streaming Service Nebula Hits 100,000 Monthly Paying Subscribers". TubeFilter. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Top Patreon Video". Graphtreon. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.

External links

Video on demand services
Categories