 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq: GAIA (Class A) Russell 2000 Component | |
| Industry | Video production |
| Founded | 1988; 37 years ago (1988) Boulder,Colorado, U.S. |
| Founder | Jirka Rysavy |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [2] | |
Gaia, Inc. is a publicly traded (NASDAQ:GAIA)[3][4] Americanmedia company founded in 1988 by Jirka Rysavy inLouisville, Colorado. It owns and operates Gaia TV, asubscription video on-demand service consisting of original and licensedalternative media documentaries. Gaia.com is a streaming service featuring 10,000+ original and licensed videos – dedicated to health, wellness, spirituality, and personal transformation.[5]
The service has been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories.[6][7][8]
As of September 13, 2018[update], Gaia TV had over 500,000 subscribers in 185 countries.[9] As of 2024, they had 806,000 subscribers.[10]
Gaia was founded in 1988 by Czechoslovakian-born entrepreneur Jirka Rysavy.[11] Originally branding itself as ayoga equipment brand, Gaia sold mail-order exercise videos andalternative medicine products.[12]
Gaia began several acquisition and merging endeavors in the early 2000s. In 2001, Gaia merged with the Californian companyReal Goods Solar, a residential and commercial solar power integrator with a focus onoff-the-grid living.[13] Gaia continued expansion and in 2003 bought a 50.1% share in itsUK distributor Leisure Systems International (LSI).[14] In 2005, Gaia acquired the media assets ofGoodTimes Entertainment andJetlag Productions.[15] The company additionally acquired bothLime TV[16] and Zaadz.com[17] in 2007 to start what was called the LOHAS network (LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability).[17] In 2008, Rysavy stepped down as CEO.
In 2011, Gaia launched Gaia TV, a streaming service for videos on yoga, meditation, and fringe science.[18] The company acquired Vivendi Entertainment, a DVD distributor fromVivendi subsidiaryUniversal Music Group Distribution, merging it with its home entertainment division to formGaiam Vivendi Entertainment.[19][20]
In 2016, Sequential Brands Group purchased the Gaiam brand and yoga equipment unit for $167 million. Gaia subsequently rebranded itself, 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,[21] spending up to 120% of its revenue on advertising.[22] Gaia also sold its travel business for $12 million.[23]
Gaia addedlive streaming events from a new event center at itsLouisville, Colorado campus in 2019.[24][25][26] Events are live-streamed in 185 countries with simultaneous translation.[27]
In November 2021, American singer and actorDemi Lovato became the first celebrity ambassador for Gaia. Lovato announced via 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!"[28][29][30][31][32]
Gaia acquired the digital video service Yoga International in December 2021.[33]
In 2023, Gaia appointed James Colquhoun to the new position of Chief Operating Officer. During this time Gaia also announced an AI-powered search engine for their content library.[34] In March 2024, Gaia launched Gaia+, a premium membership providing access to workshops, live events, and guided programs.[35][36]
Gaia's content library encompasses over 10,000 films on a variety ofalternative media subjects, ranging from yoga andmeditation toalternative medicine andconspiracy theories.[37] Many of its documentaries explore spiritual principles such asdivination,metaphysics,astrology,alchemy, andmysticism.[38][failed verification][39][failed verification] Gaia documentaries promote conspiracy documentaries aboutreptilians,aliens,Atlantis,5G andvaccines.[40][6][7]
In 2018, conspiracy theoristDavid 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.[41][42]
That same year, Patty Greer, a filmmaker formerly contracted by Gaia, accused the company of "promotingLuciferianism and using directed-energy weapons against critics."[43][44][45][46] Greer claims she was attacked with a "directed energy weapon" in thePhoenix, Arizona airport in 2017.[47] In addition, Greer alleged her films were intentionally removed from the Gaia website. She stated that her refusal to sign anon-disclosure agreement involved in regaining distribution rights to her films ultimately led to her content being intentionally removed from the site.[47]
In February 2021,Business Insider published an investigative piece detailingworkplace harassment and concerns about the surveillance of Gaia employees by the company.[41] These concerns stemmed from Gaia offering blood tests to employees, as well as unsupported reports that Rysavy had installed 'a machine' on the roof of Gaia headquarters to 'psychically monitor employees.'[41]
Following videos and posts from Greer claiming Gaia was infiltrated bysatanists andreptilians,[45] 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.[47][42][45] 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.[48] 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.[42] In her apology, Greer stated "many of those postings were critical of Gaia and its employees, and were either based on my own opinion or information I received from various third-parties (sometimes anonymously). Because I was ultimately unable to corroborate or confirm the information — which Gaia believed to be untrue and unfounded, and which Gaia vehemently denied at all times — I agreed to remove the postings."[49]
