How We Built a $150 Million Streaming Platform with $100,000
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- Опубликовано: 14 июн 2023
- Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/wendover
Watch the Logistics of X: nebula.tv/thelogisticsofx
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Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Josh Sherrington
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster
The Insane Logistics of a Creator-Run Platform
Peak title
Been waiting for a Wendover video about videos for a while 😂
MinutePhyics and MinuteBody are on Nebula, but when MinuteEarth?
😂
Nebula eventually turns into Discovery Communications TLC History Science channels one way or another ... then new seasons of "Nebula presents Ancient Aliens" and "Nebula Pawn Stars".
It has come full circle
Sam is doing a video essay on himself
This is peak wendover
But.... He's not an airplane! This is outrageous!😁
Really excited for the Half As Interesting response.
@@zdtvcomet Imagine if he filmed this on an airplane, in a cramped economy seat with random other passengers next to him lol
@@zdtvcomet I also missed a significant amount of bricks
And of course it started with planes
Out of all the things Nebula has brought to me, my favorite is getting to see Ben and Adam running wild and free out in the world.
Jetlaaag. Can't wait for next Wednesday 😅
I am a follower of everything Sam does since the 2017-18 era (back when the channel was significantly smaller - and there was just one channel), but now, after a long time of trying, I finally convinced my wife to watch Jet Lag with me - she reluctantly agreed, as a favor to me. After the first episode (I chose season 5), she was so hooked that we breezed through the rest of the season in less than 3 evenings and will watch the other seasons soon too. Well done Sam, Adam, Ben and everyone on the staff!
@so you wife just watched Ben getting drunk repetately /s
@@shadownetzero1914 Amy's not real. Amy can't hurt me
On a few occasions, I've spent hours looking on Nebula for good creators. I have to say that I have never become a long-term follower of any channel I didn't first first find on RUclips though. Nothing I've found in Nebula searches has ever captured my interest.
I know this is a story that will probably never be told, but I’m super fascinated by why CGP Grey and Kurzgesagt dropped out after having been the key movers behind Nebula and Standard in the early days!
Yes, me too. Fan of cgp gray especially and i truly hope he comes back to nebula one day.
Probably won't though, who wants to go back to a company that you sold yourself before it was successful?
@@Pykenike1 Yeah, I think there’s pretty much zero chance of him coming back now. He didn’t just leave as the major co-owners, he (and Kurzgesagt) took all their content off the platform too. So there was obviously some sort of major split.
realistically.... just look at the patreon numbers. Through all of this, Kurz and Grey would have been complete whales in the space compared with all the other creators. Likely the same reason Tom Scott never jumped on... they're independently successful on their own
@@TS6815 Maybe, though that doesn’t really work with them being the key drivers behind it for the first couple of years. Certainly though, they don’t *need* it in quite the same way - Grey in particular has a pretty sweet deal in which he rakes in huge amounts of cash while spending most of the year not working and barely bothering to produce videos even for the rest. Though I suspect it’s probably more money and personality related - Grey and Dettmer are both famously pretty awkward characters and difficult to work with.
I'm pretty sure it's them prostituting themselves before big business interests to make them look good in their videos, which the big business interests will only be interested in with very large viewership numbers
A trip down memory lane 🥲
Thanks Mr. Engineering!
sidenote: while i.m happy to pay for nebula, the overall UX on nebula is that okay, but i still use youtube to watch the same creators 95% of the time (and given the number of comments by other nebula subscribers here, i.m not alone)
@@dirkeisinger4355NGL I use RUclips cuz it has much more creators who upload much more regularly.
@@internet_userr and its free
@@dirkeisinger4355 Since there are no ads on Nebula, I don't think they care too much that many people still watch most videos on RUclips instead of Nebula. In fact, I think they potentially even generate more revenue this way, as you already paid them for the Nebula subscription and you still watch the sponsorships on RUclips videos. I watch most videos on RUclips too, except exclusive content that is only on Nebula and Jet Lag The Game, where I can watch new episodes 1 week early.
I think Nebula is proof of how much people hate ads and just want to support creators directly instead. I get spared my time and sanity, and the creator gets way more than they ever would from me watching advertisements. Win-win.
This is the biggest thing, especially now that sponsorships in videos are so prevalent and getting more and more intrusive (2-3 minutes instead of 30-60 seconds, having crucial plot points of the video be interspersed within the ad read so you can’t just mindlessly skip past it, etc.). Having a space that is free from ads where you also know that you’re benefiting the creator directly (and significantly more than if you signed up for some random subscription service or mobile game or bought some cheap mass marketable product that has next to nothing to do with their content) is such a nice way to operate a curated streaming platform that also allows creators to explore higher budget video concepts than they otherwise would. Truly the best experience for everyone involved
the only issue is that some people physically can't afford to pay them directly. for example, i am a college student and i probably won't be able to afford such a service for a while.
@@the.abhiram.r I mean, I too am a student (and have been for a while) with very very low net income, but even for me $30 a year is laughable compared to my other expenses. That price to not see ads is a no brainer for me.
Meanwhile they relied heavily on RUclips sponsors and ads to promote nebula.
But the rest of the internet says otherwise
Another important factor is the level of loyalty Nebula customers have to the creator. Unlike companies like Netflix, there is a high degree of trust that whether a piece of content aligns with a subscriber’s interests or not it WILL be high quality. If this isn’t the ultimate demo of why just making a good product is the most important part of business I don’t know what is.
I've worked at Nebula almost 4 years now, great to be a part of such a positive success story. Awesome to see it summarised so well, thanks Sam!
Dom???
@@saddish2816 Yes?
When are you going to start accepting PayPal as a payment option?
When do you tackle user convenience?
This company is part of that other company where the guy from Cleveland basically took a train to LA and started his first company that’s portfolio runs itself
I originally also thought this would be another streaming flop but here we are years later and I’m glad to see the growth Nebula has shown
Spolier alert
@@internet_userr It’s literally the title
Same. But I've had my annual subscription for 3 years now and have really enjoyed being proven wrong by a scrappy bunch of creators!
I never thought it would be a flop, I always sensed these guys were way more talented than the average RUclipsr and of course they would take this venture as serious as they do their content, in my eyes it was inevitable, it's inevitable when you group together not only such talented people, but talented people who don't have massive egos like gaming RUclipsrs or musicians for example
@@justamanchimp Yeah In retrospect I can definitely also see the promise these guys had comparative to other such made projects. It was just at the time I had seen it happen and failed before so wasn’t convinced. So glad to be proven wrong
Had no idea Nebula was so big! I always thought it weird when creators said "my streaming service Nebula". Good job to you and everyone involved!
Knowing that Sam owns a $150 Million company makes it much easier to root against him in Jet Lag now. I really saw him as an underdog 😭
a part of it ...
He owns a part of of a company valued at $150 mil. That doesn't mean that he has that much money or that he could even get that much if he "cashed out" of his ownership stake. I'm sure he's not hurting for money, but he's not unbelievably rich or anything. At least not yet lol
That doesn't mean he has 150 mill in the bank bro. He owns a PORTION of the company and even if the company was sold he'd get only 50 percent of his portion.
@@jujhar.50% is for the creators. He is a creator *and* an owner. He'd get a part of the 50% share reserved for creators *and* a part of the 50% share reserved for owners.
I agree
Wow. I am surprised-not-surprised at how many of these creaters I recognize on sight. Just everyone who makes informational videos who have good ethos and content. I am downright *PROUD* to be supporting Nebula (and curiosity stream!)
I agree but you always had youtube premium if you don't want to see the ads on yt.
Agreed
Right? It's crazy how it's a very specific niche. Most of the channels I already watched one day just started to make nebula ads.
I was recognizing everyone on those pictures hahaha
@@shafu0x You have adblock and sponsor block. Fuck Google.
Wow. Transparency… what a breath of fresh air. With sooooo much obvious B.S. out there and people dancing around stuff, it’s so nice to just hear genuine honesty and on a very intriguing subject that no one ever discusses.
Yep, so very true
Transparency is exactly why they are successful. It’s amazing that if you don’t take advantage of people and just give people awesome content with no strings, you grow exponentially
@@samplautz5586ikr who would have thought that a good product at a good price would sell well.
I just wish big companies would learn about such groundbreaking methods as well…
The actual reason Nebula works is the price, that and an appreciation for the creators who gave us such great content for free for so long, (Mustard, Real engineering, RLL and even you Sam) we are happy to support you.
tbh I wonder if they realize that. Nebula is just a great way to let people pay a very reasonable amount to support people they wanted to support but didn't have quite the right context or excuse to. So it's easy to sign up and call it donating to the content creators (critically, the content creators actually do effectively make a lot from it, it's not all getting drained off by middle men, so it is an effective way to give support), and if you use the service on top of that then that's a great bonus.
I think it's important they understand that because it does affect the future strategy. For example, until they have a much higher draw it would be a mistake to do like Joe Rogan did and move the bulk of their content exclusively behind a paywall, I.e. to Nebula. Even though it sounds like people would be drawn even more to it, I think instead they would lose people who prefer watching on yt but subscribed to donate/support. The current model of additional content just makes a lot more sense.
Exactly.. I signed up for Curiosity bundle two years ago, but on my LG tv I don't even have a watch Nebula. But that was okay since it was me paying to creators for their effort than skipping ads. I did enjoy the Curiosity part of the deal thoroughly as well since they had an app.
I won’t be renewing my nebula subscription when it expires because the cheap bundle with curiosity stream is no longer active.
The regular price is 5 bucks per month, I believe. I pay € 8.5 for RUclips premium and this includes RUclips music. Price-wise it doesn't really make sense.
@@craigslist6988, I agree.
I had been seriously considering subscribing to Nebula for a while and this video pushed me over the edge. It was fascinating to understand how it came to be and how it supports creators in ways that RUclips and other streaming platforms don't. I'm really happy to be able to support so many of my favorite creators with my subscription. Well done Sam and team!
It's also the only place Lindsay Ellis publishes videos now. Nebula has a lot of great exclusives.
We seriously need to rethink the word "support"
When creators would say "OUR new streaming service", I rolled my eyes at the wording. Lo and behold, now I see it actually WAS created by creators and that's seriously awesome! I'm happy you've shared this origin story, it makes the service a lot more human and approchable. Here's to more of its success! 🎉
What gets me is how many creators say "MY streaming service". Why do they say that?
@@tsuchanI've never heard anyone say that, but in this case it's because Sam was part of creating Nebula.
@@a-r Ho yes.... TechAltar/Friday Checkout guy (I particularly remember) did that on every video when I was subscribed to it.
@@tsuchanit’s to appeal to fans who support the creator. It’s a way to direct fans that they have a connection to it besides being paid for an ad roll
@@Speedster___ Hmm, is it? To me, "OUR streaming service" sounds very engaging; but "MY streaming service" when it was a lie eventually pissed me off enough to subscribe from TechAlter/FridayCheckout channels. (Who likes being lied to?)
The other gripe I had was claiming "special price of $15 a year" or "special price of $12 a year" when it turned out to be one-year offer and then continue at a $20 a year. It's not that I minded $20 a year, I just hate being misled in adverts and left feeling like a gullible twat.
I’ve been a nebula subscriber for a year now and I’ve never been happier with a subscription service! The one time there was an error I emailed the team they fixed it immediately and were incredibly friendly. (Just please add comments!!)
yes! absolutely love nebula, but I often find myself watching a video on nebula first, then heading over to youtube to go look at the comments. Not at all disappointed with my subscription though. The original content is leagues better than I thought it would be and the ui is great. Even has a few features baked into it that I wish were in youtube.
@@colefreeman4093does nebula not have comments?
@@CurtisDas nope, it does not
Considering how toxic RUclips comments can be, maybe that is a feature rather than a bug. I imagine the crowd is less toxic with paid subscribers who are still mostly idealistic fans following their favorite artists. But it still means a host of work policing the comments for hate, dangerous misinformation, and spam.
I’m watching this on Nebula and reading RUclips comments lol
So you guys know, Sam did this when he was about 20 years old. Huge props for that
That's old. People back then had children at age 12 and died at 25.
And he hasn't aged a day since then! It's pretty incredible what this guy can do.
@@noob.168 What? Back when? 12 has never been a common age for child birth let alone standard, also even in the poorest places in the worst times odds are if you made it to 20 you where probably gonna make it to 30 at least.
@@noob.168 That's literally not true at all lol. Infant mortality is the reason for low average lifespan. People had much longer lifespans if you made it past childhood
@@noob.168where are you getting that nonsense from?? High infant mortality brings down the average, but realistically if you live to 10 you'll live to 20, to 30, 40 etc. Plenty of records of people in their 70s and 80s
Supporting Nebula is like supporting your local food co-op. I love that you all have found a way to keep this creator-owned. And thanks for sharing the story. I felt some loyalty already, but this cemented it even more so.
If only you guys do regional pricing. Because right now, the 5 dollars Nebula membership is equal to 130 turkish liras while Amazon Prime is just 40 turkish liras and Spotify is just 30 liras. I don't know the logistics behind it but I think regional pricing can increase the platform's revenue.
Wow it's amazing to hear the whole story told like this. I've heard bits and pieces of it, but it was great to see it all spelled our so clearly.
Joining Nebula was by far the best thing I did for my channel. It's all been great, but the best part is the fantastic Nebula creators I've been able to meet; it's a great group of people.
Here's to an even more successful 2023 and beyond! 🥂
When’s your next video coming?
@@roman_fla it’s already on nebula lol
Linus Tech Tips says you're lying
Can't wait for Jet Lag on bikes in the Netherlands 😏
@@haisheauspforte1632with @NotJustBikes Sign me up
Well done. Makes us full time electronics RUclipsrs look like a bunch of amateur hacks. Guilty as charged, of course.
Beep bop... I'm the Philosophy Bot. Here, have a quote:
"Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man"
~ Dostoevsky
Sad that nebula sucks and crashes all the time
@@taavi948 Really? I mostly want comments, but it works fine for me
Why aren't you on Nebula, Dave? They're sorry Dave, they can't let you do that?
I'd LOVE to see Dave make videos in a glitzy studio wearing a button-down shirt! Just to see how many videos would be made before his head explodes.
I'm an OG Nebula subscriber. I absolutely love what you guys made. I remember hearing about it in the very early days, and opt-into a yearly subscription when Adam did their first bundle push. I didn't subscribed because of Curiosity Stream, but because that's he's the first that really managed to explain the idea. There are two aspects of the platform that I think would need to be improved for it to be a full RUclips replacement for me:
The first one goes without saying. Lately, I've been catching myself watching Nebula creators on RUclips more and more, simply because I happened to get their video recommended to me while I was watching other people's videos. I follow so many creators that it can get hard to remember on which platform I want to watch their content, and the relentless RUclips algorithm really doesn't help with that. This is happening mostly because I am watching more and more small creators will video of less than 50k views on average; and these people aren't on Nebula. I have to watch them on RUclips, and RUclips _knows_ me. Even if I unsubscribed from Adam Neely years ago in favor of their Nebula content, it still promotes their video to me because it knows I will end up watching them.
The second one is, from my understanding, somewhat of a controversy. Nebula, as a streaming platform, is a lot closer to Netflix than to RUclips. It's about getting videos from creators to viewers. There isn't any social network presence over there. This means that, ironically, I have to write this comment for a video I watched on Nebula on RUclips, of all places! This means Nebula is an awful place for tons of creators who relies on audience interactions to build up their videos. I'm thinking about gaming audiences like those from the Hermitcraft community, review and news channels like Gamers Nexus, or other smaller creators that are still trying to understand what their viewers like about them. I am aware of the difficulties that comes with running a social network, specially when it comes to dealing with the various app stores insane requirements. I wouldn't wish you the Floatplane treatment for anything in the world. That stuff is hyper customer hostile. However, I feel like it might be time to take the plunge.
It's just sad that Nebula isn't the place for everyone that RUclips is, because it means that I still need to use RUclips, and pay for RUclips Red to make it palatable, which I hate doing more and more, and it all spirals into me using Nebula less than I want to.
I cannot believe I am the only one in such a situation, and I really hope that you'll find a solution to this problem.
What they need is cash to develop. Creating a streaming platform on 3rd party is very easy, most of revenues are chewed up supporting infrastructure rather than improving it. They may have good cash run in the pandemic, but that was a one-time thing. Google, on the other hand, owns full vertical and horizontal integration of platform and data. Reaching those levels is beyond anyone's capability unless people stop using YT and start alternaitves.
People who use YT premium won't miss much, honestly. Creators have a choice. Only thing nebula did was to change on how YT treats their content creators, but they eventually expose themselves even more on a free to watch platform. Afterall, creators only make money when YT does. Maintaining gigantic infrastructure is not something your average data centre provider can do it all ocmds down to runtime costs and generated value when it comes to streaming paltforms.
Besides they seem overwhelmed already from this scale. It's hard to calculate that without future cashflow they will burnout within a year that too with very small funds compare to what actual startup needs.
P.S. fix typos
Great summary! Nebula isn't a RUclips alternative, and I question how they'd even think about that. RUclips is social, and that's an essential difference. When I'm watching a video, I can communicate and exchange thoughts and emotions with other people about that content - that's what makes RUclips special. And unless other services start to adopt that social component, I will never view them as an alternative. Because it's just static watching, like on Netflix. There is no interaction.
I get how annoying people are and how much work it is. But there is just something missing on platforms where you can merely consume, and not participate. I am so used to exchanging my thoughts with others, that even on static video platforms there are moments where I want that exchange. But especially at the end. Often I go to RUclips to specifically find a reaction to that content to find that exchange. But it's an additional effort and overall just not the same.
Agreed, nebula badly needs commenting, discussions, forums, something anything where I can interact with other viewers and the video creator.
That would be great, but do keep in mind forums require moderation, which is often a BIG undertaking.
@@beatm6948 Forums don't require moderation. Moderation is a tool that is commonly used, yes, but it isn't mandatory. I do agree with you though that if you choose to go with moderation you can't half arse it, you have to go all in, which is indeed a BIG undertaking. The thing is you don't actually have to do it. Especially on a platform like Nebula which attracts a certain type of people, which is the exact opposite type of the typical trolls/flamers/etc that require said moderation in the first place. I mean sure, if you go without moderation you need to have a thick skin and a high tolerance level for the inevitable obscenities as these will occasionally happen, there's no way around that. However when those instances are few and far between and there isn't anyone pouring oil onto the fire these instances die down as quickly as they pop up, which ultimately make them a non issue. Special snowflake type people aside, if you're such a special snowflake than no, a no moderation social platform will definitely not be for you... Whether you're a creator or a customer.
I would love to be involved with Nebula.
Many of your viewers would love to see you there too. ❤
That'd be awesome!
Would be awesome
Would be well deserved too!
Yes
Love this. You all have built something incredible. Well done.
They've built pure crap; I don't know a single person that has ever paid for Nebula
@@pyropulseIXXIust cuz you don’t know anyone doesn’t mean people don’t. They have data lol
@@pyropulseIXXI get off mate.!!
@@pyropulseIXXIThis is pretty sad self-burn.
@@JennyMDMA You people pay for a shit service; that is what is sad
CONSOM MOAR AND GET EXITED FOR MORE CONSOOOOMING
Mad respect for being able to pull this whole business off.
CS stream was founded by the CEO of Discovery Channel "small group of creators" my ass.
@@KevinJDildonik wow! they got an investment so they didnt do any work! logic
I wouldn't call it pulling it off until it becomes profitable. 5 bucks a year per viewer doesn't project high confidence in me.
@@funkintonbeardowhat he already said they already got profit. But much of that profit invested back to grow the platform
@@funkintonbeardo 5x650,000 (stated viewers)
This is an awesome setup you've all made! It's clear you're super passionate about making it work and providing content that is worth the sign up price. I've been influenced i'm gonna check it out
What a face reveal (at least to me), and such an amazing story! I pretty much grew up on the educational side of RUclips, and have been hearing about Nebula for the last 4 years. This video might actually convince me to subscribe and see what you and all the other creators I follow have to offer there firsthand. Thank you for your efforts.
Nah, he did a proper face reveal on a second channel years ago. Then showed up again on Tom Scott's Money and is now all the time on Jet Lag
@@whydoineedausername1386 Makes sense. It's just my first time seeing what he looks like.
@@whydoineedausername1386 First time for me to see. But he looks cooler now than in any of the photos shown in the video.
It was kinda surprising knowing the man that makes brick jokes in HAL is one of the co-founders of Nebula.
Same, I love the education side of yt, my fav part of yt so this platform is very convincing
Well that was extremely informative and super heartwarming to see how this developed, and how all of you guys managed to make Nebula happen and thrive. Like you said, it's not about taking viewers' money. It's about having a platform where original content is created and watched, WITHOUT those stupid ads, ALL THE WHILE being able to perform financially so everyone can get paid for the hard work you put in, from the famous creators to all the staff !
I'll tell you what sold me on Nebula: it was realizing that most of the creators I watch made content there. There is value in having multiple creators from a particular interest niche on the platform.
I will also mention that the low review score for your Android app scared me away for a long time, too. I know you have no control over what reviewers say, but it's worth knowing that they had a pretty big effect on my decision making process. I'm glad I finally got over it and downloaded the app though, because I personally have no real complaints about it.
Haters be haters. Perhaps they didn't realize it was subscripsion based? Or perhaps while it was still young?
@@mr.boomguy maybe. I definitely think it's underrated at the moment.
yes this is one of the main selling points. jet lag alone is worth 5$ a month but also having wendover and many others i follow for that same price is incredible.
I saw a lot of complaints about the app defaulting to 1080p even when the internet connection is either not fast enough or not reliable enough. I think they could benefit from prompting the user to add a review after they've finished watching their tenth video on the app or something, the review score would go up if they got users with nothing else to say than "works fine" to leave reviews instead of just those who are experiencing an issue and leave a review to inform what the issue was.
I've found the android app experience pretty poor as well. I don't know if it warrants the 2.4 rating, but it is one huge reason I still prefer RUclips.
This may be the most iconic Wendover Productions essay yet, and self-referential to boot! When you, yourself are the subject, or at least the "modus vivendi", what then must the scriptwriting do? The passion here is incredible, as is the measured risk-taking winding up at "what's to lose?". This level of essay is seldom done in the first or second person, but usually in the third or "2.5th" person, Nerdwriter style.
Fantastically well done, in every aspect. I am simultaneously inspired and thankful.
I love seeing this as the inheritors of vlogbrothers. Hank and Jon built the path through the wilds of early internet video, and this is the next step. Building a viable business, but with a community and creator centred ethos.
And, of course, it'll come full circle when Hank and John unveil their own streaming service on which they release their new series, Sixteen Weeks to Glory, in which they finally box each other. [podcast ref]
Next up: the insane logistics of an insane logistics Wendover video!
No but for real, this was another great watch, and I do appreciate what Nebula is as a platform and a vision. So thank you Sam, and all other creators involved!
Congrats to Isaac for being the pioneer! He’s why I’m a Nebula subscriber.
Ditto
I've actually never tried Nebula before, so I'm curious to see how it's like.
Who else but a futurist would be first .. 😄
@@languistif you are avid educational video watcher it's worth it. Here the thing because much of the video was exclusive content they are all in high quality and because the small number you can basically watch all backlogs in short time rather than RUclips where you need to watch their video constantly if not then you need to rummaging hundreds of their backlog weekly uploads.
@@languistLike RUclips but without ads and with a consistently high content quality. Oh, and downloads included. ❤
Great video - makes me want to work there! Not only is the content interesting and thought provoking, but the genuine support and recognition of all staff is moving. Keep up the great work - I just signed up for the bundle.
something about companies being clear and open just instantly makes me want to support them! i have subbed a few times on and off, mainly to watch specific videos, but this video has convinced me to sub for the year! thanks for the great videos
Same here. Looking forward to supporting ethical decisions to feed the creators that make the platform rather than the exec's that try to squeeze every penny. Also.. Quality over quantity
I've been a subscriber for several years and it is so great to see how well Nebula is doing. I'm a software developer and would love to work on something like this. An industry where and a company where when the company does well, everyone does. Congrats!
I am not a subscriber, but I am honestly quite happy to see that it seems to work out for the creators. Maybe you guys can lead the change in content creation we so desperately need, not only on YT.
You really did it Sam... congrats to an amazing path, an amazing story, and I hope you find tons of success on the platform going forward
Glad you did this. I’m not in your field, but watch all your vids… I would imagine this is a bold and courageous effort. Good on you!
This feels like the only ad I want to watch that’s 28 minutes long. Fucking love that platform, I watch Mustard and Real Engineering there too!
I watched a 15 minute ad from Boston Dynamics about their robot dog. Once in a while, an ad is just interesting enough to be engaging.
It’s crazy everything sam has accomplished and he’s only in his mid 20s. I’ve been watching many of the nebula creators on RUclips and on nebula for years and I happily pay for the subscription
This ^ he's a huge inspiration to me!
plus the fee is dirt cheap. $12,- a year for both Nebula and Curiosity stream
the price never changed from the get go for me.
As someone who's been around since the early days of Wendover it truly is heartwarming to see all of the success that you and your fellow creators have had. Thank you for making such great content!
Yes I agree with this. I'm glad they've had success.
Really happy you guys made it, we need more of these bottom-up initiatives! Took the Curiosity str. + Nebula combo a few years ago. CS didn't stick, but Nebula has everything I like in one place. Big shout-out to all the 'Logistics' vids and Mustard's top notch visualisations !
I still have my bundle deal, but I really only use the Nebula part.
I don't even watch on nebula. I just see it as a way to fund all the creators I love in one easy place. Been subscribed for years and happy with it.
Totally agree. On the extremely good part, creators probably acquired a very loyal customer base, on the bad part, it might be that the content offer on Nebula + CS is not yet there?
@@Serpolinidate Yeah, if there's an extra bit I'm curious about, I'll go to Nebula to catch it. As it is, I already have way too much media to consume daily lol
Yea the only think I watch on nebula is jetlag
I've had a nebula for well over a year now for the same reason. I'd use it a lot more if I could follow/subscribe to individual creators, and IDEALLY have multiple feeds for nature, science&tech, astronomy, econ, etc.
@@Pistolita221 That's actually a great idea. Maybe it's possible, now. I haven't explored the site in a while.
I'd be really curious for CGPGrey and Kurzgezagt's 2 cents on this business model. Clearly they're doing quite well and are fully successful with their current system, but I wonder how they feel about Nebula these days, and what their big concerns were back when they sold in 2020.
For obvious legal reasons this video glossed over that. But I’m intrigued too. Maybe pre covid Nebula’s revenue was only.. okay? The huge boost from lockdown was absolutely unprecedented, and they’re probably kicking themselves
Kurz maybe, but personally I'm not too interested in CGP Greys take on it given some of his own scummy practices (striking reactors, paywalling comments, hiding old bonus videos behind a paywall, etc)
@@TheKeeperofChaos please elaborate? What did he do exactly?
@@TheKeeperofChaos There is nothing wrong with striking reactors since they literally steal market share from a video they have nothing to do with by watching it like any other person. It's just theft.
@@TheKeeperofChaosyou have an issue with Grey paywalling bonus videos? I presume you much despise the practice of Nebula Originals then?
Sam, you got me to subscribe to Nebula on your first video that included the curiosity stream package, as you mentioned in this story, I think that was an extremely smart play all around as the two platforms really do complement themselves. I’m still a Nebula subscriber today through that same bundle, and couldn’t be happier. Many thanks to you, your team, and the rest of the people who brought us Nebula!
This might be the most intresting video to date. Thank you for sharing the background of the work you and your creators put in
y’all and crash course have such interesting and ethical business strategies! the thing that got me to sign up was, yes, the originals, but also the fact that creators can make what they want and get paid for it. worth the cost to see my favorite artists full potential. and then on the other side of the coin (hehe), crash course figured out a way to make basic knowledge free! i don’t know the exact details but i know a solid amount is made through donations from patreon to the crash course coin.
either way, glad to see the people i want to get paid paid and the knowledge i want free is free :)
I thought I would watch a lot of Topic too, so I signed up. Its ran its course, so I mostly watch Nebula too, but I do like Topic.
I think the biggest reason behind 27:17 I think is because literally everyone is just so tired of big no-faced companies selling stuff. When presented with an opportunity to support someone who you've been watching for months or even years, and by KNOWING that the money is going to THEM, you're much more willing to actually hand over the cash. Even if the service might have a couple bumps in the road. As a happy customer, I wish much success to Nebula and hope you don't eventually go down the path that so many other companies do where you put profit over the content and more importantly over the person WHO'S GIVING YOU THE MONEY!
Great video, Sam - good to see you. Also well executed on Nebula. I'm a CS-bundle customer since the early days and I'm very happy to support the effort. Good job!
I’ve been using Nebula for a couple of years now and it’s the place I go for content I know is always gonna be good. The awesome creators behind it having a platform to break RUclips’s monopoly is darn awesome. Cool video Sam!
I’m an annual subscriber, and I find that the limiting factor for going to nebula is the lack of a comment section on each video. Every time I watch on your site, I find myself saying “wow, that was an interesting video! I wonder what people are talking about?”. Then I come to RUclips to read the comments. But then… why didn’t I just watch the video on RUclips?
Comments might scare off the advertisers or people who prefer echo chambers
@@commisaryarreck3974 but they don’t have advertisers on nebula. it’s viewer funded. comments may be removed to create any hostile environments, but i still wish they were there
This is the best sales pitch I've heard as a casual customer by far. In many years of hearing about these services now. I'm in.
Like all your videos, this was an awesome peek behind the curtain. Just signed up for Nebula a few weeks ago, and I've been enjoying it. Keep up the good work!
I've been watching your channel since 2019, along with TLDR and others. I found impressive what you guys accomplished and absolutely genius how Nebula works from a Business Perspective. Hope that the platform keeps growing (I'm not currently subscribed but definitely will) congrats for your success hope you keep up your amazing content. 👏
Isaac was the first creator to bring Nebula to my attention and it's actually his voice in my head that I hear doing the promotion. From there an easy 80% of my you tube content is on Nebula and even though I haven't joined for the obvious "why pay for it when..." this video has convinced me Nebula is something worth supporting and your discount is the catalyst so I've just signed up for a year. It looks like reams of content and I'm here for it, ctrl d, let's go.
It's amazing seeing those younger pictures of Sam and just how far everything has come since then. He's only in his mid 20's and killing it. Congrats!
I'm a subscriber to Nebula & CS for over a year. Happy with it. Well done peeps!
Honestly the biggest draw for me has to do with knowing that the money does go directly to creators. I can't throw $5 in the patron of every single person but I can throw money at Nebula and know they're getting some of it. 90% of my youtube subs are on Nebula anyway at this point, it just makes sense.
Same here, if I have 10 favourite creators, I can't possibly be spending $50 a month to support them. Nebula sounds like the next best step.
Wtf after all these years of watching I've never seen your face until now, I never in a million years pictured you blonde blue eyes long hair! I don't know what I pictured but damn this is kinda a crazy experience for me right now 😂
On a serious note, congrats. You and nebula guys completely deserve what you've achieved. I've watched all you guys for years and watched it all unfold in real time and I always loved that you guys came together and not in a fake way, you guys genuinely supported each other and clearly all shared the same vision. Team work makes the dream work! Love it. You, Real Engineering and RLL are my favs.
You’ve watched Sam for years and never seen Jet Lag?
Same man. It was a bit disorienting at first.
I stumbled across JetLag and started watching it and was like "Why does this guys voice sound so familiar?" I imagined Sam as a guy in his late 30s who looks like a bearded frazzled college professor who just didnt wanna deal with teaching classes, but wanted to get paid for talking about cool shit still and started a RUclips channel.
@@EvanAviator Nope never watched Jet lag, I think the name rings a bell tho
@@garethx12 yh lol that's kinda what I had in my head
I think that I first joined Nebula after Real Engineering showed the first episode of the Logistics of D-Day on youtube, and that was the push to sign-up for the Curiosity Nebula bundle.
I'm genuinely thrilled to have been using Nebula for years, because I really appreciate the high-quality educational content everybody on there puts out, and this seemed like a small way I could give thanks to all of you.
Thank you so very much to everyone involved for making this awesome product happen, and also to Wendover specifically for this really nice behind the scenes backstory.
P.S. I love that Nebula does not have a lot of features such as likes and dislikes and whatnot, my personal sole exception being that I miss having a queue function, mostly for playing videos to fall asleep too. Thanks again for believing in Nebula far enough for it to get the growth well deserved!
I'm very happy for your success! I haven't been a Nebula sub before but I'm considering it now because it's so full of great content and people. Props for not going for the quick cash. You have a winning idea and people are supporting it. You might not be able to buy a yacht, 10 supercars and a multi-million dollar mansion the very next day (like people that just sell off a business instead of standing by it) but in time it's definitely a possibility.
You are the main reason why I love nebula so much. I was thinking of canceling my subscription last year, but then I saw your amazing documentary on the Colorado problem. It was so well done and informative that I decided to keep supporting Nebula.
I have Nebula, but I rarely use it. I almost always watch videos via RUclips.
On reason is community features. Nebula has no comments, no good discovery or recommendations. e.g. Other users who watched this also watch that by this other creator. There’s no rating system (hate that yt now hides thumb down). For a long time Nebula lacked speed control, adding that at least let me consider watching exclusives, I’ve gotten too use to 2x.
I’m glad to hear that the venture is going so well.
Idk why this made me cry. Maybe it’s because you’ve all taught me so much and kept me so entertained and I’m so happy to see you all have the success you deserve.
I like that Nebula succeeded
Its content is very interesting, and I love that creators were seen as partners, rather than a product
I was afraid this would just be a long Nebula-ad but it was a very inspiring story of how passion and skill meets entrepeneurship! Love it, keep it up!
Though some creators' YT videos seem made just to sponsor Nebula.
I'm not yet a Nebula subscriber but I feel every video I watch makes it harder to stay away. I love Jetlag and your logistics videos are some of my favorite so that new series is seriously tempting me. I'm sure I'll be a subscriber before the end of the year at this rate.
I thank you for this video as it explains most of my problems I've had with the Nebula player.
I also sad to learn that Grey left right before the boom, but glad that the additional creators were brought on.
Grey leaving was surprising to me, too, but considering his typical risk aversion, I can't say it's unexpected. I hope they both rejoin :P
I'm also curious about Tom Scott's brief involvement. Was he ever fully on board and if so, why did he leave?
@@Veilurei doubt he ever will. they (sam, brian, and co) had to plead with grey to sell it to them rather than shut the whole thing down like he wanted. i don't think they're on great terms.
plus grey has patreon, which he seems to be doubling down on.
@@dddgaming885 sad to hear 😥
I had been on the fence about signing up since I was already paying for RUclips. But since the RUclips price increase, and you explaining everything in this video, you have a new Curiosity/Nebula subscriber! I have been watching CGP Grey, Legal Eagle, and Wendover for a long time now. I'm glad that you guys are sharing your success with all the other creators that share your passion for learning.
Congrats on your success! And your hard work is definitely seen in the production quality.
ok, you got me. i love the upfront and sincere sales pitch. you guys clearly have the passion and ethics for this.
Most meta video on Nebula at the moment
I don't think all others have failed. Linus Tech Tips has Floatplane, which is their own version of Vessel, and it is apparently a financial success. The big differences from Nebula is that creators (except LMG) don't own the platform, and each creator requires their own subscription. Floatplane does not see Nebula as a competitor, mostly due to the different business models, and Patreon is their real competition.
Floatplane used the same "start small" mentality, but to them going under was not an option as they would never invest more than what LTT and eventually their own revenue was able to foot. Floatplane doesn't have outside investors, so I'd argue their model is was risky, but Nebula obviously made it too.
Floatplane is not a Vessel replacement because of the crucial change that in Floatplane you pay for each individual creator you want to watch, it's not like Nebula or Vessel that you pay one fee and get access to all the creators on the platform, it's most definitely more of a "Patreon with video capabilities" where you subscribe to a person in particular.
Its targeting a different audience. Nebula is an entertainment platform that offers access to more high-quality original content, targeting general consumers who just want more of the same. Floatplane meanwhile is more of a fan engagement platform that offers behind the scenes, extended cuts, and so on.
Floatplane is also vastly less technologically sophisticated. They're so busy trying to monetise that they have sacrificed functionality which they get pulled through the ringer on a LOT. In truth the fact is having been created at around the same time, a lot of people have commented on and follow both services. My belief though is that while they operate on fundamentally different models, Floatplane's days are numbered. The cost proposition during an emerging cost of living crisis that appears to be developing into a full blow recession...well...Floatplane and it's offerings is a lot more expensive.
Compound this with how few creators actually offer things through Floatplane...basically, you're supporting just the one organisation - LMG.
Until the C-suite of LMG actually look outside their little silo I fear that they'll continue under too many misapprehensions. Their model is just fundamentally broken imo.
Demolition ranch started bunker branding and built a mansion probably as a tax write-off and is now renovating an amusement park to host events and stuff. It's not a tech start up, but he's definitely successfully diversifying. Bunker branding does a lot of merch production for other yt channels.
Vimeo OTT is also still going strong, they're the backend of a lot of OTT channels that are out there today
Floatplane is NOT a financial sucess. It stays afloat and provides more money per view than youtube, so it stays. The real way LTT makes more money off their videos was their huge push to get their audience to stop using adblock and pay for youtube premium instead. many many many people gloss over this but there's a considerable amount of youtube premium watchers on the LTT channels
Absolutely beautiful to see the success you guys are having and thank you for making this video to help explain the story. Loved it!
Congrats on what sounds like an intense journey over the last few years and I hope Nebula is around for many years more! As long as the compan's main goal continues to be supporting the people (creators, site staff, production staff, etc) who create the amazing product y'all have, it's pretty easy to root for your success 😊
I appreciate the transparency you gave to all the viewers and subscribers. Not only was it informative, but showed the true passion of all the creators involved.
Congrats, man! It's amazing seeing the success of great content creators!
The main reason this worked in the long run really is just the value the videos have. People can actually learn al lot from subscribing. Whereas most other youtubers simply provide entertainment. Something that is clearly worth a lot less.
I looove JET LAG so much and this look behind the curtain of how Nebula and Jet Lag started is amazing....
As an OG Nebula subscriber, love this! Thank you to everyone involved in the Nebula effort to get content creators out from under the thumb of corps profiting off their work!
At first I was sceptical of how interesting this video would be, but I quickly got really into it! It's very nice to hear a story like this, of passionate people working to make a platform that can support both themselves and other creators, and be a great experience for subscribers!
This was _extremely_ interesting - I think I need a rewatch with subtitles on and an occasional pause to digest all the weirdness of mechanics of sponsorships and other ways of revenus creation in this corner of creative universe. (BTW, I subscribed using one of those early promotions for the insanely discounted CS/N bundle, and I have been renewing ever since.)
Super interesting story! Thanks for sharing it. I've been subscribed for about 18 months now and love it!
This is one of the best business case studies I’ve ever seen.
And I went through a lot of them getting an MBA.
Congratulations and thank you!
I also found it fascinating. Sounds like the secret sauce is getting users to choose the discounted annual subscription and using that upfront payout to fund growth without needing investment capital. Now I'm wondering if something similar could work in my own industry....
@@jpfister85 I see a potentially fatal flaw to the Nebula model. I came out of the first viewing seeing the flaw. Then I watched a second and third time thinking it through and it is not addressed in the video.
The business model is dependent on the lifetime value expectation being accurate.... and stable. Predicting lifetime value when a customer chooses monthly to stay or leave is much easier than an annual subscription. They also have very little data on how the consumer behaves after 2 or 3 years on an annual plan. Or in different economic cycles. Or in times of technology shifts.
The annual plan also makes it harder to recover from reputational damage or other shocks that typically occur to a business. If any of the creators has a controversy that is not handled well it can quickly collapse the business.
The business is currently considered a success because it front loads the revenue stream to reinvest and pay creators. The risk is still there, they are just delaying and compounding that risk.
The final component of the fatal flaw is the size of the target audience. By sponsoring more videos and attracting more customers they are beginning the lifetime customer expectation now instead of over a period of time. The pandemic created an anomaly that skews the data potentially masking this risk. They will not be able to maintain the ad conversion rates and the lifetime customer value over time. They *might* be able to prepare for this by having plans to expand to other genres of creators and executing those plans when the circumstances call for it. That emergency action can only extend the inevitable so far.
Nebula looks like a creative business plan that allowed it to outlast it's niche competition. It is still in a market that has a limited potential to last long term. 20 years ago a concept like Nebula would be impossible to start. 20 years from now it seems impossible for the model to remain.
This is like Blockbuster offering an annual rental membership. When it crashes it will be rapid.
Sam, Good for you & your whole team. It makes me so excited to see YOU small creators be successful and create legitimate businesses. I've never met you, but I'm still proud and a little jealous of your success! Wishing you even greater success in the future! As a fellow Coloradan who is in/around DIA all the time, It would be a pleasure to run into you someday!
This video is the best sponsorship for nebula and it has cause me to sign up for it asap I cant wait to discover all the brilliant content from all the channels thank you for making this platform
Thank you for sharing this. It means a lot to know behind the scenes as knowing who you really are and what are your goals. This makes me confident that paying nebula+curiosity bundle is awesome deal and I hope you will continue with what you do in this transparent way. Keep it up! :) (also good to know that it is profitable and all of you are happy with that!)
Signing up for nebula has been one of the best things I've ever done. Any time I'm bored or looking for something to watch, I know Nebula will have something. Its honestly incredible!
Truly humbling to hear you tell this story. I feel like I'm part of the greatest little corner of both of these platforms and I'm excited to see how they both evolve
Love that you shared the journey. I didn’t know how Nebula worked. I support it and use it .
Great video! Amazing to get the inside story and well done creating Nebula!
Really inspiring story! Just be aware that the service could be very slow in implementing much needed and easily created solutions like their subtitles' size which is enormous and takes too much of the screen. We have been asking Nebula to change the size of the subtitles for 3 years at this point and they done nothing about it.
Service is a scam. Nebula and Curiosity Stream are owned by multimillionaire venture capitalists, not small creators.
Thats cool bro
In general it still puzzles me how the platform is supposed to work. There is no real interaction (no comments) or discovery and it seems like most creators basically expect you to be on youtube and only view the exclusives on nebula.
@@creesch I enjoy the adless viewing, it's the only way I can get through short HAI videos, where the percent of the video that's an ad read goes too high for me to tolerate.
@@creesch Most of them use Reddit for comments. Which was a bit of a problem during the Reddit blackout
Thank you so much for sharing all of this information, Sam! I've been a Nebula subscriber since fairly early and have been very curious about literally everything you covered in this video. Congrats on the success so far!
I swear I'm in love with your business and how you are able to market your product, this just feels not corporate.
Except it totally is, just instead of an ivy league hedge fund manager who was hired out of school by his dad, you get...
Well...
RUclipsrs.
Thanks for this video. I’ve been on the fence with Nebula for a long time but I’m on my way to get a yearly sub right now. Thanks for your hard work and dedication
I love SFIA! I didn't realize he was the OG promoter, but he was the one that I for sure was willing to support with a Nebula subscription. So excited to see a peak behind the scenes of how it came to be
Congrats, Sam. It's been a pleasure to watch you grow over the years - you deserve it!
Dave is the genius here for making a company for smart content creators with those smart content creators
this is an excellent video, i enjoyed seeing how it came to be, well done to each and everyone involved with growing Nebula to its current state, game changing 😊