CuriosityStream Inc.
For the period ended Mar 31, 2025. Filed May 6, 2025.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Mar 31, 2025 · Filed May 6, 2025
Extracted filing text, with the paragraph anchors used by the comparison.
See the whole filing, with its images and exhibitsContents
Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements
UNAUDITED NOTES TO INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 -ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS
On October 14, 2020, Software Acquisition Group Inc., a special purpose acquisition company and a Delaware corporation (“SAQN”), consummated a reverse merger pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated August 10, 2020 (the “Business Combination”). Upon the consummation of the Business Combination, CuriosityStream Operating Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Legacy CuriosityStream”) became a wholly owned subsidiary of SAQN, and the registrant changed its name from “Software Acquisition Group Inc.” to “CuriosityStream Inc.” Following the consummation of the Business Combination, Legacy CuriosityStream changed its name from “CuriosityStream Operating Inc.” to “Curiosity Inc.”
The principal business of CuriosityStream Inc. (the "Company" or "CuriosityStream") is providing customers with access to high quality factual content via a direct subscription video on-demand (SVOD) platform accessible by internet connected devices, or indirectly via distribution partners who deliver CuriosityStream content via the distributor’s platform or system. The Company's online library available for streaming spans the entire category of factual entertainment including science, history, society, nature, lifestyle, and technology. The library is composed of thousands of accessible on-demand and ad-free productions and includes shows and series from leading nonfiction producers.
The Company's streaming content is provided to consumers through two primary distribution channels: (i) direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) and (ii) third-party platforms, referred to as Partner Direct. The DTC channel includes access through the Company’s website and applications developed for electronic device. Collectively, DTC and Partner Direct comprise the Company’s Direct Business.
DTC includes subscriptions to consumers as well as bulk subscriptions through enterprises, and provides monthly or annual subscription terms. Pricing varies based on the subscriber’s location, the selected subscription tier and term. To ensure wide accessibility, the Company has developed applications for major customer devices, including streaming media players such as Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV, and smart TVs from brands including LG, Vizio, and Samsung.
In addition to the Direct Business, the Company enters into Bundled Distribution arrangements with media partners to provide streaming content to a broader reach of subscribers. These agreements typically convey a broad scope of rights, including access to a 24/7 linear channel, an on-demand content library, mobile rights, and/or pricing and packaging flexibility, in exchange for an annual fixed fee or per-subscriber fee as part of a multi-year deal.
The Company also enters into content licensing arrangements, which grant distribution and data rights to its programming, including licensing content from its library and selling certain rights to content prior to production.
NOTE 2 -BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and are consistent in all material respects with those applied in the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024.
In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2025, are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2025.
USE OF ESTIMATES
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP and the rules and regulations of the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant items subject to such estimates include the content asset amortization, the assessment of the recoverability of content assets andequity method investments, and the determination of fair value estimates related to non monetary transactions, share-based awards and liability-classified warrants.
Concentration of Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist principally of cash, cash equivalents, investments, and accounts receivable. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents with high credit quality financial institutions. At times, cash balances with the financial institutions may exceed the applicable Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured limits.
Investments in debt securities are held with reputable institutions and are monitored to manage credit risk exposure.
Accounts receivable, net are typically unsecured and are derived from revenues earned from customers, the majority of which are located in the United States.
Investments in Debt Securities
The Company classifies its investments in debt securities as held-to-maturity “"HTM” under ASC “Accounting Standards Codification” 320, “Investments—Debt and Equity Securities.” HTM investments represent securities for which the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity, and they are reported at amortized cost.
Investments with original maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase are classified as cash equivalents. Investments with longer maturities are classified as short-term or long-term investments based on the remaining maturity at each balance sheet date and the Company’s intent to hold the security. Interest income earned from HTM investments is recognized in the condensed consolidated income statement as “Interest and other Income” under non-operating income.
Fair Value Measurement of Financial Instruments
Fair value is defined as the exit price, or the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date. The applicable accounting guidance establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the factors market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability. The accounting guidance establishes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:
Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2: Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements. The Company reviews the fair value hierarchy classification at each reporting period. Changes in the observability of valuation inputs may result in a reclassification of levels for certain securities within the fair value hierarchy.
The Company’s assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis have included its investments in money market funds, U.S. government securities, corporate debt securities, municipal debt securities and certificates of deposit. Level 1 inputs were derived by using unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets in active markets and were used to value the Company’s investments in money market funds, U.S. government debt securities, and certificates of deposit. Level 2 inputs were derived using prices for similar investments and were used to value the Company’s investments in corporate and municipal debt securities.
The Company’s liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis include its private placement warrants issued to Software Acquisition Holdings LLC, the Company’s former sponsor, in a private placement offering (the “Private Placement Warrants”). The fair value of the Private Placement Warrants is considered a Level 3 valuation and is determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model. Refer to Note 6 - Stockholders' Equity for significant assumptions which the Company used in the fair value model for the Private Placement Warrants.
Certain assets are measured at fair valueon a nonrecurring basis and are subject to fair value adjustments only in certain circumstances, e.g., when there is evidence of impairment indicators.
The Company’s remaining financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued expenses and other liabilities, are carried at cost, which approximates fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments.
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”) allows the Company, as an emerging growth company (“EGC”), to delay adoption of new or revised accounting pronouncements applicable to public companies until such pronouncements are applicable to private companies. The Company has elected to use this extended transition period under the JOBS Act until such time as the Company is no longer considered to be an EGC. The Company expects to no longer be eligible to qualify as an EGC after December 31, 2025, which is the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of its first sale of common equity securities in an offering registered under the Securities Act.
In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2023-09 ("ASU 2023-09"), Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires public entities, on an annual basis, to provide disclosure of specific categories in the rate reconciliation, as well as disclosure of income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2023-09.
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income-Expense Disaggregation Disclosures(Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses, requiring public entities to disclose additional information about specific expense categories in the notes to the financial statements on an interim and annual basis. ASU 2024-03 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, and for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2024-03.
NOTE 3 -EQUITY INVESTMENTS
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 Company’s carrying value for its equity method investment in Nebula as of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, was as follows:
| (in thousands) | Total |
|---|---|
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | $3,848 |
| Equity method investment loss | (151) |
| Balance at March 31, 2025 | $3,697 |
The carrying value of the Company’s equity method investment in the Spiegel Venture was reduced tozero as of December 31, 2024, and remains unchanged as of March 31, 2025.
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”), operatestwo documentary channels, together with an SVOD service as well as a free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, which provide factual content to pay television audiences in Germany and certain German-speaking regions of other countries. The Company has not received any dividends from the Spiegel Venture as of March 31, 2025.
Per the Share Purchase Agreement (as amended in early 2023, the “SPA”), in the event the Spiegel Venture achieved certain financial targets during its 2022 fiscal period, the Company was required to make an additional payment related to its 32% equity ownership to both Spiegel TV and Autentic (the “Holdback Payment”). During the three months ended June 30, 2023, the Company determined the Spiegel Venture had achieved such financial targets, resulting in the Company paying a Holdback Payment in the amount of $0.9 million to Spiegel TV and Autentic during July 2023. This payment has been recorded as an equity investment in the balance sheet.
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 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 (the “Put Option”) at a value based on a determinable calculation outlined in the SPA. The Put Option is only exercisable during the period that is the later of (i)60 business days following the adoption of the Spiegel Venture’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year 2025, and (ii) the period between April 1, 2026, and April 30, 2026.
In the event that neither the Call Option nor the Put Option is exercised, both options will continue to be available to each respective party in perpetuity beginning in the following year, with its exercise limited to the applicable date range outlined above.
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, 2025. The opportunity or obligation to make additional purchases ended as of September 30, 2023. Because the Company did not purchase at leasttwo 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, 2025.
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, 2024.
NOTE 4 -BALANCE SHEET COMPONENTS
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, RESTRICTED CASH AND INVESTMENTS
A reconciliation of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents in the consolidated balance sheets to cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in the consolidated statements of cash flows is as follows:
| (in thousands) | March 31,2025 | December 31,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents | $9,183 | $7,826 |
| Restricted cash1 | 125 | 125 |
| Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | $9,308 | $7,951 |
| 1 Restricted cash included cash deposits required by a bank as collateral related to corporate credit card agreements. | ||
The Company’s investments in debt securities at fair value based on unadjusted quoted market prices (Level 1) and quoted prices for comparable assets (Level 2) were as follows as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024:
| As of March 31, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | Cash andCashEquivalents | Short-TermInvestments | Investments (Non-Current) | Total |
| Level 1 securities: | ||||
| Money market funds | $4,636 | $— | $— | $4,636 |
| Certificate of deposit | — | 5,000 | — | 5,000 |
| U.S. government securities | 2,900 | 2,979 | — | 5,879 |
| Total Level 1 securities | $7,536 | $7,979 | $— | $15,515 |
| Level 2 securities: | ||||
| Corporate debt securities | — | 16,281 | 5,484 | 21,765 |
| Total Level 2 securities | — | 16,281 | 5,484 | 21,765 |
| Total | $7,536 | 24,260 | 5,484 | $37,280 |
| As of December 31, 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | Cash andCashEquivalents | Short-TermInvestments | Investments (Non-Current) | Total |
| Level 1 securities: | ||||
| Money market funds | $3,512 | $— | $— | $3,512 |
| Certificate of deposit | — | 9,000 | — | 9,000 |
| U.S. government securities | — | 1,495 | — | 1,495 |
| Total Level 1 securities | $3,512 | $10,495 | $— | $14,007 |
| Level 2 securities: | ||||
| Corporate debt securities | 649 | 13,736 | 7,459 | 21,844 |
| Total Level 2 securities | 649 | 13,736 | 7,459 | 21,844 |
| Total | $4,161 | $24,231 | $7,459 | $35,851 |
The following table provides the amortized cost and estimated fair value of investments with fixed maturities as of March 31, 2025:
| As of March 31, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | Amortized Cost | Gross Unrealized Gains | Gross Unrealized Losses | Estimated Fair Value |
| Fixed maturities: | ||||
| Certificate of deposit | $5,000 | $— | $— | $5,000 |
| Corporate debt securities | 21,768 | 4 | (7) | 21,765 |
| U.S. government securities | 5,879 | — | — | 5,879 |
| Total | $32,647 | $4 | $(7) | $32,644 |
The Company recordedno material realized gains or losses during the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024.
The following table provides the amortized cost and estimated fair value of investments with fixed maturities as of March 31, 2025:
| As of March 31, 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | Amortized Cost | Estimated Fair Value |
| Due in one year or less | $27,162 | $27,160 |
| Due after one year through five years | 5,485 | 5,484 |
| Total | $32,647 | $32,644 |
CONTENT ASSETS
Content assets consisted of the following as of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024:
| (in thousands) | March 31,2025 | December 31,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed content, net: | ||
| Released, less amortization and impairment | $9,493 | $10,190 |
| Prepaid and unreleased | 3,876 | 3,139 |
| Total Licensed content, net | 13,369 | 13,329 |
| Produced content, net: | ||
| Released, less amortization and impairment | 16,151 | 17,717 |
| In production | 306 | 465 |
| Total produced content, net | 16,457 | 18,182 |
| Total content assets | $29,826 | $31,511 |
Of the $9.5 million unamortized cost of licensed content that had been released as of March 31, 2025, the Company expects that $5.3 million, $2.5 million and $0.7 million will be amortized in each of the next three years. Of the $16.2 million unamortized cost of produced content that had been released as of March 31, 2025, the Company expects that $7.6 million, $5.3 million and $2.9 million will be amortized in each of the next three years.
Impairment Assessment
The Company’s primary business model is subscription-based as opposed to a model based on generating revenues at a specific title level. Content assets are predominantly monetized as a group and therefore are reviewed in aggregate at a group level when an event or change in circumstances indicates a change in the expected usefulness of the content or that the fair value may be less than unamortized cost. If such changes are identified, the aggregated content library will be stated at the lower of unamortized cost or fair value. In addition, unamortized costs are written off for content assets that have been, or are expected to be abandoned.
Amortization
In accordance with its accounting policy for content assets, the Company amortizes licensed content costs and produced content costs, which is included within cost of revenues in the Company’s unaudited consolidated statements of operations. For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, content amortization was as follows:
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 |
| Licensed content | $1,694 | $1,698 |
| Produced content | 1,819 | 3,517 |
| Total | $3,513 | $5,215 |
ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER LIABILITIES
Accrued expenses and other liabilities consisted of the following as of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024:
| (in thousands) | March 31,2025 | December 31,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Accrued payroll and benefits | 2,835 | 2,540 |
| Dividends payable | — | 1,415 |
| Sales and income tax liabilities | 878 | 946 |
| Operating lease liabilities | 404 | 396 |
| Accrued royalties | 538 | 53 |
| Other | 2,829 | 1,653 |
| Total | $7,484 | $7,003 |
WARRANT LIABILITY
As described in Note 6 - Stockholders' Equity, the Private Placement Warrants are classified as a non-current liability and reported at fair value at each reporting period. As of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants, as determined using Level 3 inputs, was as follows:
| (in thousands) | March 31,2025 | December 31,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Private Placement Warrants | $96 | $88 |
NOTE 5 -REVENUE
The following table sets forth the Company’s disaggregated revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, as well as the relative percentage to total revenue:
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) · 2025 · 2024 | ||||
| Direct Business: | ||||
| Direct-to-Consumer | 6,530 | 43% | 8,136 | 68% |
| Partner Direct | 2,180 | 14% | 1,473 | 12% |
| Total Direct Business | 8,710 | 57% | 9,609 | 80% |
| Content Licensing: | ||||
| Library sales | 5,411 | 36% | 868 | 7% |
| Presales | — | —% | 296 | 3% |
| Total Content Licensing | 5,411 | 36% | 1,164 | 10% |
| Bundled Distribution | 571 | 4% | 1,142 | 9% |
| Other | 398 | 3% | 86 | 1% |
| Total revenues | $15,090 | $12,001 | ||
REMAINING PERFORMANCE OBLIGATIONS
As of March 31, 2025, the Company expects to recognize revenues in the future related to performance obligations that were unsatisfied as follows:
| Remainder ofYear EndingDecember 31,2025 · Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) · 2026 · 2027 · 2028 · Thereafter · Total | ||||||
| Remaining performance obligations | $1,955 | $573 | $193 | $121 | $72 | $2,914 |
These amounts include only fixed consideration or minimum guarantees and do not include amounts related to (a) contracts with an original expected term of one year or less or (b) licenses of content that are solely based on sales or usage-based royalties.
DEFERRED REVENUE
Contract liabilities (i.e., deferred revenue) consist of subscriber and affiliate license fees billed that have not been recognized, amounts contractually billed or collected for content licensing sales in advance of the related content being made available to the customer, and unredeemed gift cards and other prepaid subscriptions that have not been redeemed. Total deferred revenues were $10.9 million and $11.4 million as of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, respectively. The non-current portions of $0.4 million as of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, respectively, are included in other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, the Company recognized revenues of $4.9 million related to amounts deferred as of December 31, 2024.
TRADE AND BARTER TRANSACTIONS
During 2025, the Company continued to enter into trade and barter transactions, primarily for the purpose of exchanging content assets through licensing agreements with media counterparties. Certain transactions may also include the exchange of advertising, whereby the Company and its counterparty exchange media campaigns or other promotional services.
For content acquired through trade and barter transactions, the Company records the acquired assets in the consolidated balance sheet and amortizes those assets over the term of the content license, in accordance with the Company’s content and amortization policies. For other products and services received through trade and barter transactions, the Company records operating expenses upon receipt of such products and services, as applicable.
The transaction price for these contracts is measured at the estimated fair value of the non-cash consideration received unless this is not reasonably estimable, in which case, the consideration is measured based on the standalone selling price of the services provided. For an exchange of content, the performance obligation is satisfied at the time the content is made available for the counterparty to use, which represents the point in time that control is transferred. For advertising, the performance obligation is satisfied upon the Company’s delivery of the media campaign or other service to the counterparty.
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, trade and barter revenues were as follows:
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 |
| Trade and barter license fees: Content Licensing | $1,717 | $224 |
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, trade and barter cost of revenues were as follows:
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 |
| Cost of revenues | $3 | $— |
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, additions to content assets resulting from trade and barter transactions were as follows:
| Three Months EndedJune 30, | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 |
| Content assets acquired | $1,714 | $224 |
NOTE 6 -STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
COMMON STOCK
As of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, the Company had authorized the issuance of 126,000,000 shares of capital stock, par value of $0.0001 per share, consisting of (a)125,000,000 shares of common stock, and (b)1,000,000 shares of preferred stock.
TREASURY STOCK
On June 10, 2024, the Company's Board of Directors authorized and approved a share repurchase program for up to $4 million of the then-outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock. Under the stock repurchase program, the Company may repurchase shares through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block purchases, or otherwise in accordance with applicable federal securities laws.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had repurchased 216,000 shares of its common stock at an average price of $1.16 per share. The total cost of the repurchase was $0.3 million, which was recorded as treasury stock in the equity section of the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. There wereno additional repurchases during the three months ended March 31, 2025
WARRANTS
As of March 31, 2025, the Company had 3,054,203 publicly traded warrants outstanding that were sold as part of the units of SAQN in its initial public offering on November 22, 2019, and that were issued to the PIPE Investors in connection with the Business Combination on October 14, 2020 (the “Public Warrants” and, together with the Private Placement Warrants, the "Warrants") and 3,676,000 Private Placement Warrants outstanding. The Private Placement Warrants are liability-classified, and the Public Warrants are equity-classified.
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchaseone share of the Company’s Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. All Warrants expire on October 14, 2025.
The Company has the right to redeem the outstanding Public Warrants in whole and not in part at a price of $0.01 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, if and only if the last sale price of the Company’s Common Stock matched or exceeded $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sent the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants except that, so long as they are held by Software Acquisition Holdings LLC or its permitted transferees: (i) they will not be redeemable by the Company; (ii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (iii) they are subject to registration rights.
There wereno exercises of warrants during the three months ended March 31, 2025.
The warrant liability related to the Private Placement Warrants is recorded at fair value as of each reporting date with the change in fair value reported within other income (expense) in the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of operations as “Change in fair value of warrant liability” until the warrants are exercised, expired or other facts and circumstances lead the warrant liability to be reclassified to stockholders’ equity (deficit).
The fair value of the warrant liability for the Private Placement Warrants was estimated using a Black-Scholes pricing model using Level 3 inputs. The significant assumptions used in preparing the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine fair value as of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, were as follows:
| March 31,2025 | December 31,2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise price | $11.50 | $11.50 |
| Stock price (CURI) | $2.68 | $1.53 |
| Expected volatility | 96.40% | 107.80% |
| Expected warrant term (years) | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Risk-free interest rate | 4.19% | 4.16% |
| Dividend yield | 6.0% | 1.6% |
| Fair Value per Private Placement Warrant | $0.03 | $0.02 |
NOTE 7 -EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share are computed based on the weighted-average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding during the respective periods. Diluted earnings (loss) per share reflect the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted, using the treasury stock method for stock options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), and other potentially dilutive instruments. For RSUs, the assumed proceeds under the treasury stock method include the amount of unrecognized compensation cost. Potential common shares are excluded from the diluted per share calculation when their effect is anti-dilutive, including in periods of net loss or when inclusion does not result in a decrease in earnings per share.
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, the components of basic and diluted net loss per share were as follows:
| (in thousands except per share amounts) | Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||
| Numerator — basic and diluted EPS: | |||
| Net income (loss) | $319 | $(5,035) | |
| Denominator — basic and diluted EPS: | |||
| Weighted–average shares | 57,132 | 53,301 | |
| Net income (loss) per share — basic and diluted | $0.01 | $(0.09) | |
Common shares issuable for warrants, options, and restricted stock units (“RSU”) represent the total amount of outstanding warrants, stock options, and restricted stock units at March 31, 2025, and 2024. For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, the following potentially dilutive securities were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share as they were determined to be anti-dilutive. Warrants and stock options were excluded because their exercise prices exceeded the average market price of the Company’s common stock during the respective periods. Granted RSUs were excluded because their inclusion, as calculated under the treasury stock method, did not result in a lower earnings per share amount.
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 |
| Options | 27 | 31 |
| Restricted stock units | 2,227 | 2,478 |
| Warrants | 6,730 | 6,730 |
| Total | 8,984 | 9,239 |
NOTE 8 -STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value of the award. The fair value is recognized in earnings over the period during which an employee is required to provide the service. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.
In October 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted the CuriosityStream 2020 Omnibus Plan (the “2020 Plan”). The 2020 Plan became effective upon consummation of the Business Combination and succeeds the Legacy CuriosityStream Stock Option Plan. Upon adoption of the 2020 Plan, a total of 7,725,000 shares were approved to be issued as stock options, share appreciation rights, restricted stock units and restricted stock.
The following table summarizes stock option and RSU activity, prices, and values for the three months ended March 31, 2025:
| Number ofSharesAvailableforIssuanceUnder thePlan · Stock Options · Restricted Stock Units | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands except share price and fair value amounts) · Number ofShares · Weighted-AverageExercisePrice · Number ofShares · Weighted-AverageGrantDateFair Value | ||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | 974 | 27 | $5.00 | 2,061 | $1.67 | |||||
| Granted | (265) | — | — | 265 | 2.71 | |||||
| RSUs vested | 31 | — | — | (99) | 3.86 | |||||
| Forfeited or expired | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| Balance at March 31, 2025 | 740 | 27 | $5.00 | 2,227 | $2.70 | |||||
There wereno options exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024.
Stock options and RSU awards generally vest on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis over a period ofone tofour years from the grant date. When options are exercised, the Company issues unissued shares of Common Stock to satisfy share option exercises. Upon vesting and distribution of RSUs, the Company issues unissued shares of Common Stock to satisfy RSUs vested, net of shares withheld for taxes if elected by the RSU holder.
The fair value of stock option awards is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which includes a number of assumptions including the Company’s estimates of stock price volatility, employee stock option exercise behaviors, future dividend payments, and risk-free interest rates.
The expected term of options granted is the estimated period of time from the beginning of the vesting period to the date of expected exercise or other settlement, based on historical exercises and post-vesting terminations. The Company generally estimates expected term based on the midpoint between the vesting date and the end of the contractual term, also known as the simplified method, given the lack of historical exercise behavior.
The Company uses its own historical volatility as well as the historical volatility of similar public companies for estimating volatility. The risk-free interest rate is estimated using the rate of return on U.S. Treasury securities with maturities that approximate the expected term of the option.
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, stock-based compensation expense was as follows:
| (in thousands) | Three Months EndedMarch 31, | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| Stock-based compensation — Options | $— | $5 |
| Stock-based compensation — RSUs | 863 | 684 |
| Total stock-based compensation | $863 | $689 |
Stock-based compensation is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period.
NOTE 9 -SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
The Company operates asone reportable segment. The Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker ("CODM"), its Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), reviews financial information on a consolidated basis to make operating decisions, assess financial performance, and allocate resources.
In evaluating performance, the CODM primarily assesses operating loss and net loss, as reported on the consolidated statement of operations and regularly reviews certain significant expense categories, including content amortization, other cost of revenues, advertising and marketing, payroll and related expenses, and other general and administrative expenses. These expense categories are considered key factors in managing the business and guiding resource allocation decisions.
This approach ensures that the Company’s financial reporting reflects the way management monitors expenses and overall financial performance.
The following table presents financial information with respect to the Company’s single operating segment for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024;
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 |
| Revenues | $15,090 | $12,001 |
| Less: | ||
| Content amortization | 3,513 | 5,215 |
| Other cost of revenues | 3,567 | 1,533 |
| Advertising and marketing | 2,934 | 3,105 |
| Payroll and related | 2,632 | 2,652 |
| Other general and administrative | 2,365 | 3,150 |
| Total operating expenses | 15,011 | 15,655 |
| Operating income (loss) | 79 | (3,654) |
| Other segment items* | $268 | $(1,347) |
| Income (loss) before income taxes | $347 | $(5,001) |
| Provision for income taxes | $28 | $34 |
| Net income (loss) | $319 | $(5,035) |
| * Other segment items include changes in the fair value of warrant liabilities, interest and other income, and equity method investment loss. See the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding the Company’s operating segment. | ||
All long-lived tangible assets are located in the United States. For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, revenue by geographic location based on customer location was as follows:
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) · 2025 · 2024 | ||||
| United States | $10,736 | 71% | $7,425 | 62% |
| International: | ||||
| Switzerland | 1,515 | 10% | 41 | —% |
| Other | 2,839 | 19% | 4,535 | 38% |
| Total International | 4,354 | 29% | 4,576 | 38% |
| Total revenue | $15,090 | 100% | $12,001 | 100% |
Revenue from one foreign country, Switzerland comprised 10% or greater of total revenue for one or more of the periods presented.
NOTE 10 -RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS
EQUITY INVESTMENTS
For thethree months ended March 31, 2025, the Company recognizedno revenue from Spiegel Venture and Nebula.
As of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, the impacts of the arrangements with the Spiegel Venture and Nebula on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets were as follows:
| (in thousands) | March 31,2025 | December 31,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts receivable | $253 | $248 |
| Accounts payable | $7 | $— |
| Accrued expenses and other liabilities | $2 | $8 |
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, the impacts of arrangements with the Spiegel Venture and Nebula on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations were as follows:
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 |
| Revenues | $— | $111 |
| Cost of revenues | $9 | $15 |
OPERATING LEASE
The Company sublets a portion of its office space to Hendricks Investment Holdings, LLC, which is considered a related party as it is managed by various members of the Company’s Board of Directors. The Company accounts for the arrangement as an operating lease. Refer to Note 11 - Leases for additional information.
NOTE 11 -LEASES
COMPANY AS LESSEE
The Company is a party to a non-cancellable operating lease agreement for office space, which expires in 2033. The Company’s operating lease for this office space includes fixed rent payments and variable lease payments, which are primarily related to common area maintenance and utility charges. The Company elected not to separate lease and non-lease components, and as such, all amounts paid under the lease are classified as either fixed or variable lease payments. The Company has determined that no renewal clauses are reasonably certain of being exercised and therefore has not included any renewal periods within the lease term for this lease.
As of March 31, 2025, the Company held operating lease ROU assets of $3.0 million. Current lease liabilities were $0.4 million, and are included within accrued expenses and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. Non-current lease liabilities were $3.8 million. In measuring these operating lease liabilities, the Company used a weighted average discount rate of 4.4% as of March 31, 2025. The weighted average remaining lease term as of March 31, 2025, was 7.92 years.
Components of Lease Cost
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, the Company’s total operating lease cost was comprised of the following:
| Three Months EndedMarch 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 |
| Operating lease cost | $119 | $119 |
| Variable lease cost | 14 | 12 |
| Total lease cost | $133 | $131 |
Maturity of Lease Liabilities
As of March 31, 2025, maturities of the Company’s operating lease liabilities, which do not include short-term leases and variable lease payments, were as follows:
| (In thousands) | |
|---|---|
| Nine remaining months of 2025 | $430 |
| 2026 | 585 |
| 2027 | 600 |
| 2028 | 615 |
| 2029 | 630 |
| Thereafter | 2,100 |
| Total lease payments | $4,960 |
| Less: imputed interest | (773) |
| Present value of total lease liabilities | $4,187 |
COMPANY AS LESSOR
The Company subleases a portion of its office space to a related party and accounts for the arrangement as an operating lease. Related party sublease rental income is recognized on a straight-line basis and is included in Interest and other income (expense) in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. For the three months ended March 31, 2025, operating lease income from the Company’s sublet was less than $0.1 million. As of March 31, 2025, total remaining future minimum lease payments receivable on the Company’s sublet were $0.2 million.
NOTE 12 -COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
CONTENT COMMITMENTS
As of March 31, 2025, the Company’s content obligations amounted to $0.6 million, including $6.1 thousand recorded within content liabilities in the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets, and $0.6 million of obligations not yet recorded as they did not yet meet the asset recognition criteria for content assets. These obligations are expected to be paid by December 31, 2025.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company’s content obligations amounted to $0.4 million, including $0.3 million recorded within current content liabilities in the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets and $0.1 million of obligations not yet recorded as they did not yet meet the asset recognition criteria for content assets.
Content obligations include amounts related to licensed, commissioned and internally produced streaming content. An obligation for the production of content includes non-cancelable commitments under creative talent and employment agreements. An obligation for the licensed and commissioned content is incurred at the time the Company enters into an agreement to obtain future titles. Once a title becomes available, a content liability is generally recorded. Certain agreements include the obligation to license rights for unknown future titles, the ultimate quantity and/or fees for which are not yet determinable as of the reporting date.
ADVERTISING COMMITMENTS
The Company periodically enters into agreements to receive future advertising and marketing services as part of various licensee arrangements, and the Company reports commitments when the applicable agreements provide for specific committed amounts. As of March 31, 2025, the Company’s future advertising commitments totaled $1.7 million, all of which the Company expects to pay during the year ending December 31, 2025.
NOTE 13 -INCOME TAXES
For the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024 Income tax expense was immaterial. The Company’s provision for income taxes differs from the federal statutory rate primarily due to the Company being in a full valuation allowance position and not recognizing a tax benefit attributable to generated losses for either federal or state income tax purposes.
NOTE 14 -SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On May 5, 2025, the Board declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share of Common Stock, equivalent to $0.32 per share of Common Stock on an annual basis. The cash dividend will be paid on June 20, 2025, to all holders of record of Common Stock at the close of business on June 6, 2025. This cash dividend of approximately $4.6 million is expected to be paid from available cash on hand.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.