What We’re Watching: CuriosityStream

I turn on public television, or one of the several science channels like Discovery or Science, and delight in documentaries about the world, its history, natural and human, and all manner of science and geekery. Unfortunately, even on-demand from Xfinity doesn’t make the wealth of knowledge available from various sources actually available when I want it.

Enter CuriosityStream from the founders of Discovery Channel. The streaming service currently hosts over 2,400 documentary features and series, and that list is growing.

CuriosityStream recently released new original programming called Speed. Speed features host and engineering expert Sean Riley (host of World’s Toughest Fixes) as he takes you across continents, into the skies, under the ocean, and into space to showcase our insatiable desire to move further and faster; for pleasure, for work, to explore, to survive.

SPEED is the quintessential CuriosityStream project; as it combines historical and technological insights with mesmerizing visuals and engrossing storytelling for programming that is hugely entertaining and thoroughly enlightening, We partnered with Arrow Media to produce SPEEDusing heart-pounding action to connect the transportation methods of our distant ancestors to our dreams of how we could travel in the future.

John Hendricks, Chairman, and Founder of CuriosityStream.

CuriosityStream features sections on science, history, technology, nature, society, lifestyles along with some 360º content which can be watched online or via Steam or Viveport.

Content ranges from short consumables like Curious Minds: Shakespeare series which consists of one or two-minute idea snippets to intermediate content like Jason Silva: Transhumanism which runs 11 minutes to longer traditional series like the popular Walking with Dinosaurs.

CuriositySteam is aptly named. It is a platform for the curious, for learners with an insatiable appetite to know.

In the future, the platform would benefit from community driven content that takes ideas from existing video and suggests where to go. For instance, the SPEED series focuses on physical speed, not the speed of change or the speed of computing.  I would love to be able to suggest what I want to know and have CuriosityStream take that under consideration for either licensing content or developing new content.

Unlike cable platforms or most other streaming services, the basic CuriosityStream service is advertising free, which needs to stay that way. As a learning platform CuriosityStream needs to continue to respect the science of learning. While breaks encourage retention, breaks filled with drug, potato chip or makeup advertising district and overwrite.

Plans start at a very reasonable $2.99 for HD services and $9.99 for 4K service. Annual plans further reduce the overall cost. For all the access options to CuriosityStream see this post at Cord Cutters.

Note: Curiosity Stream provides BER with an account for content review purposes.