CuriosityStream, the streaming service that’s dedicated to documentaries and non-fiction, has raised its prices considerably, with the annual subscription cost going up by a whopping 100%.
The service, which has been around since 2015, offers shows about science, nature, technology and more, with two subscription tiers – a monthly one and an annual one – and the cost has been fairly cheap over the years.
As of last week, however, prices have gone up from $2.99/month to $4.99 (currently around £4) for new monthly subscribers and to $39.99 (around £32) per year instead of $19.99 per year for new annual subscribers.
Existing subscribers will also see prices going up, but in the coming months (so not immediately) for monthly subscribers, and on the next billing cycle date for annual subscribers.
In the UK, however, there’s still a trick to get the subscription for a lower price, via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels (see full instructions below).
What Is CuriosityStream?
CuriosityStream is a subscription-based streaming service that focuses on documentaries and other non-fiction programming.
The service was founded in 2015 by John Hendricks, who also founded the Discovery Channel. CuriosityStream offers a wide range of content, including science, nature, history, technology, and society films and programmes.
The service is available worldwide (including the UK) and can be accessed through a long list of streaming devices such as Roku, Smart TVs, mobile phones, tablets, and directly via web browsers.
CuriosityStream offers 4K and HDR content for subscribers who have compatible devices, and while in the past 4K required a separate, more expensive subscription – all new subscription tiers now offer 4K (for some of the content).
Following the price increase, subscribers can now opt for one of two options – a recurring monthly subscription at $4.99/month, or an annual subscription at $39.99/year (which comes down to $3.34/month, but you have to pay for the full year upfront).
In addition to the regular, CuriosityStream-only tiers, the company also offers the “Smart Bundle”, which bundles several educational/lifestyle streaming services together into one cheaper bundle: Tastemade, Da Vinci Kids, One Day University, SOMM TV, Topic and Nebula.
The Smart Bundle costs $9.99/month or $69.99 annually.
According to the company, the price increase was done following extensive testing with millions of consumers. Clint Stinchcomb, President & CEO, said:
“We had long maintained our pricing despite the significant investments we have made to expand our content library and improve the user experience.
“We believe our new price points continue to represent exceptional value relative to other subscription services available in the market.”
Get CuriosityStream At A Discount
First, it’s worth mentioning that CuriosityStream often offers deals and discounts through its official website – especially around holidays and other events, so that’s always worth checking.
However, CuriosityStream also has an Amazon Prime Video Channel in the UK – which is available to all Amazon Prime members as an add-on (with an extra monthly cost).
Curiously (no pun intended), CuriosityStream’s price on Amazon’s Prime Video in the UK hasn’t gone up – and it’s still £2.79/month, which represents the older monthly price (though a bit higher at the moment because of currency rates).
We don’t know how long this will be the case – and it’s certainly possible the Prime Video price will go up eventually as well – but as of this writing, you can subscribe at the old price (but there’s no annual offer on the Prime Video channel).
Remember though that if you sign up via Prime Video Channels, you can then only watch on the Prime Video app, that’s available on most streaming devices and Smart TVs in the UK.
You won’t be able to watch on CuriosityStream’s standalone app (or website) as the two subscriptions are separate.
You can get deals, including a dual offer where the Nebula channel is also included, via offers on many YouTube channels, such as Half As Interesting or Wendover. This gives your first year at a considerable discount (currently 26%).
It’s worth mentioning that if you subscribe to the smart bundle, not every channel is available in the UK. So you could end up paying more for not much more.