EQUITY INVESTMENTS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2026

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]

On November 14, 2025, the Company executed a Series Seed Preferred Share Purchase Agreement to acquire a minority equity interest in a private AI technology company. As of December 31, 2025, the Company holds 1,217,730 Series 2 Seed Preferred Shares, representing approximately a 2.60% ownership interest on a fully diluted basis. These shares are convertible into common stock at the Company's option and carry a liquidation preference of $0.20530 per share. The shares are non-redeemable and represent a permanent equity interest in the investee. The shares entitle the Company to dividend and voting rights on an as-converted basis and provide certain protective rights over major corporate actions of the investee. The total cash consideration for this investment was $0.2 million, which was recorded as an accrued investment payable at December 31, 2025, and subsequently settled in cash on January 2, 2026.

The Company holds equity investments in Spiegel TV Geschichte und Wissen GmbH & Co. KG (the “Spiegel Venture”) and Watch Nebula LLC (“Nebula”). The Company accounts for these investments under the equity method of accounting. The carrying value of the Company’s equity method investment in the Spiegel Venture was reduced to zero as of December 31, 2024, and remains unchanged as of December 31, 2025. The carrying values for the investment in Nebula as of March 31, 2026, and December 31, 2025, were as follows:


(in thousands)	Total


Balance at December 31, 2025	$	3,668

Equity method investment income	30
Balance at March 31, 2026	$	3,698

SPIEGEL VENTURE

In July 2021, the Company acquired a 32% ownership in the Spiegel Venture for an initial investment of $3.3 million. The Spiegel Venture, which prior to the Company’s equity purchase, was jointly owned and operated by Spiegel TV GmbH (“Spiegel TV”) and Autentic GmbH (“Autentic”), operates two documentary channels, and a free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, and receives a share of revenue from the Company's German-language SVOD service. The Spiegel Venture provides factual content to audiences in Germany and certain German-speaking regions of other countries. As of December 31, 2024, the Company’s carrying value in the Spiegel Venture was written down to zero as the Company’s share of cumulative losses exceeded its initial investment. The Company has not received any dividends from the Spiegel Venture as of March 31, 2026.

The Company has a call option that permits it to require Spiegel TV and Autentic to sell their respective ownership interests in the Spiegel Venture (the “Call Option”) to the Company. The Call Option, exercisable at a value based on a determinable calculation in the Share Purchase Agreement (“SPA”), is initially exercisable only during the period that is the later of (i) 30 business days following the adoption of the Spiegel Venture’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year 2025, and (ii) the period between March 1, 2026, and March 31, 2026.

Together with the Call Option, each of Spiegel TV and Autentic has a put option that permits it to require the Company to purchase their interest (“Put Option”) at a value based on a determinable calculation outlined in the SPA. The Put Option is initially exercisable only during the period that is the later of i) the 60-day period following the adoption of Spiegel Venture’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year 2025, and (ii) the period between April 1, 2026, and April 30, 2026.

In April 2026, Spiegel TV and Autentic exercised their respective Put Options. The aggregate purchase price payable by the Company is calculated to be $1.9 million based on the formula set forth in the SPA and the Spiegel Venture’s audited 2025 results. The Company expects to finalize the acquisition in mid-2026, at which point it will own 100% of the Spiegel Venture and begin consolidating its financial results. For additional information regarding our pending acquisition of Spiegel Venture, please see Note 16 — Subsequent Events.

NEBULA

Nebula is an SVOD technology platform built for and by a group of independent content creators. Prior to the Company’s investment, Nebula was a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Broadcast LLC (“Standard”). On August 23, 2021, the Company purchased a 12% ownership interest in Nebula for $6.0 million. Upon its initial investment, the Company obtained 25% representation on Nebula’s board of directors.

Since the time of its original investment, the Company purchased additional incremental ownership interests, each for a payment of $0.8 million and representing 1.625% of equity ownership, if Nebula met certain quarterly targets. The Company made three subsequent incremental purchases, bringing its total ownership interest in Nebula to 16.875% as of March 31, 2026. The opportunity or obligation to make additional purchases ended as of September 30, 2023. Because the Company did not purchase at least two consecutive ownership interests in Nebula, effective December 15, 2023, Standard removed the Company’s seat on the Nebula board of directors. The Company has not received dividends from Nebula as of March 31, 2026.

Beginning August 2021, the Company included access to Nebula’s SVOD service as a part of a combined CuriosityStream / Watch Nebula subscription offer and as part of the Company’s Smart Bundle subscription package. As part of this arrangement, the Company shared revenue with Nebula based on certain metrics and paid monthly. On September 26, 2023, Nebula provided the Company with a notice of non-renewal, resulting in the expiration of the revenue share agreement at the end of 2023. Nebula was required to make its service available to subscribers of these offerings through the end of the term of any such subscription that existed as of December 31, 2023.