Gaia, Inc. is an American alternative media video on demand streaming service 'founded by Jirka Rysavy in 1988.
Gaia has been criticized as a "conspiracy theory hub," with content featuring British conspiracy theorist David Icke. Additional content includes videos promoting the chemtrail conspiracy theory, UFO conspiracy theories, Astral projection, and The Lost City of Atlantis.
Gaia is a streaming service that largely features videos and contains written articles.
History
Origins
Gaia was founded by Czechoslovakian-born entrepreneur Jirka Rysavy in 1988.
Gaia was founded in the late 1980s as a Yoga equipment brand, including mail-order exercise videos, amongst other alternative medicine products.
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. Gaia continued expansion and in 2003 bought a 50.1% share in its UK distributor Leisure Systems International (LSI).
As Gaia continued to expand its video service, in 2005, Gaia acquired the media assets of GoodTimes Entertainment and Jetlag Productions.
Gaia acquired both Lime TV and Zaadz.com in 2007 to start what was called the LOHAS network (LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability).
2010s – Present
In 2011, the Gaia launched Gaia TV, a streaming service for videos on yoga, meditation, and fringe science. As Gaia grew their streaming services, they 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.
Sequential Brands Group purchased the Gaiam brand and yoga equipment unit for $167 million in 2016, after which the company rebranded to focusing on its video streaming service.
As Gaia's alternative media streaming services continued to grow, 2019 showed increased popularity for the streaming service. USA Today ranked Gaia, Inc as the world's fastest-growing retailer, spending up to 120% of revenue on advertising.
Gaia added live streaming events from a new event center at its Louisville campus in 2019. Events are live streamed in 185 countries with simultaneous translation.
In February 2021, Business Insider published an investigative piece detailing workplace harassment and concerns about the surveillance of Gaia employees by the company. Concerns stem from blood tests offered to employees by Gaia, and unsupported reports that Rysavy had installed 'a machine' on the roof of Gaia headquarters to 'psychically monitor employees.' 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!" Lovato came under scrutiny for the partnership from fans due to Gaia's controversial content.
Streaming Services and Programming
Gaia provides services to subscribers in 185 countries, streaming more than 8,000 films. Gaia surpassed 500,000 paid subscribers on September 13, 2018.
Programming
Topics range from mainstream alternative medicine, such as mindfulness meditation and basic yoga, to conspiracy theories and fringe theories. This includes vaccine misinformation, UFO conspiracy theories, astral projection, and the Illuminati.