Gaia, Inc. is an American

media company A media conglomerate, media company, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as music, television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, video games, amusement parks, or ...

founded in 1988 by Jirka Rysavy in

Louisville, Colorado The City of Louisville () is a home rule municipality located in southeastern Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 21,226 at the 2020 United States census. Louisville began as a mining community in 1877, experienc ...

. It owns and operates Gaia TV, a subscription video on-demand service consisting of original and licensed

alternative media Alternative media are media sources that differ from established forms of media, such as mainstream media or mass media, in terms of their content, production, or distribution.Downing, John (2001). ''Radical Media''. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publica ...

documentaries. While the content on Gaia TV initially focused on yoga,

mindfulness Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through exercises, of sustaining metacognitive awareness towards the contents of one's own mind and bodily sensations in the present moment. The term ''mindfulness'' derives from the Pali ...

, and

alternative medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

to complement the company's yoga equipment distribution business, the latter's divestiture led to a greater emphasis on content promoting

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

and

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...

. The service has been criticized and deplatformed from social media platforms including

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

and

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

for hosting videos promoting

vaccine misinformation Misinformation related to immunization and the use of vaccines circulates in mass media and social media despite the fact that there is no serious hesitancy or debate within mainstream medical and scientific circles about the benefits of vaccination ...

and conspiracy theories such as the

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 ...

UFOs An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

, and

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

. , Gaia TV had over 500,000 subscribers in 185 countries. As of 2024, they had 806,000 subscribers.

History

Gaia was founded in 1988 by Czechoslovakian-born entrepreneur Jirka Rysavy. Originally branding itself as a

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

equipment brand, Gaia sold mail-order exercise videos and

products. Gaia began several acquisition and merging endeavors in the early 2000s. 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 Off-the-grid or off-grid is a characteristic of buildings and a lifestyle designed in an independent manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. The term "off-the-grid" traditionally refers to not being connected to the electrical ...

living. Gaia continued expansion and in 2003 bought a 50.1% share in its UK distributor Leisure Systems International (LSI). In 2005, Gaia acquired the media assets of

GoodTimes Entertainment GT Media, Inc. was an American home video company that originated in 1984 under the name of GoodTimes Home Video. Though it produced its own titles, the company was well known due to its distribution of media from third parties and classics. The ...

and Jetlag Productions. The company additionally acquired both

Lime TV Lime TV, formerly known as WISDOM Television, is now defunct as a traditional television network and has instead focused and expanded into new digital media. The current Lime online website offers information and entertainment centered on physical a ...

and Zaadz.comZaadz: Green Living Social Network Acquired"
. Mashable. 6-6-2007. Retrieved 12-20-2012 in 2007 to start what was called the LOHAS network ( LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability). In 2008, Rysavy stepped down as CEO. In 2011, Gaia launched Gaia TV, a streaming service for videos on yoga, meditation, and fringe science. The company acquired Vivendi Entertainment, a DVD distributor from

Vivendi Vivendi SE (stylized in all lowercase) is a French investment company headquartered in Paris. It currently wholly-owns Gameloft as well as a number of investments in several companies, primarily involved in content, entertainment, media, and t ...

subsidiary Universal Music Group Distribution, merging it with its home entertainment division to form Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment. In 2016, Sequential Brands Group purchased the Gaiam brand and yoga equipment unit for $167 million. Gaia subsequently rebranded itself, focusing solely on its alternative media streaming service. Over the next three years, the service would increase in popularity. In 2019,

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

ranked Gaia, Inc as the world's fastest-growing retailer, spending up to 120% of its revenue on advertising. Gaia also sold its travel business for $12 million. Gaia added

live streaming Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...

events from a new event center at its

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, Colorado campus in 2019. Events are live streamed in 185 countries with simultaneous translation. In November 2021, American singer and actor

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...

became the first celebrity ambassador for Gaia. Lovato announced via 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!" Gaia acquired the digital video service Yoga International in December 2021. In 2023, Gaia appointed James Colquhoun to the new position of Chief Operating Officer. During this time Gaia also announced an AI-powered search engine for their content library. In March 2024, Gaia launched Gaia+, a premium membership providing access to workshops, live events, and guided programs.

Programming

Gaia's content library encompasses over 8,000 films on a variety of

subjects, ranging from yoga and

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

and

. Many of its documentaries endorse

such as

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

pseudoarchaeology Pseudoarchaeology (sometimes called fringe or alternative archaeology) consists of attempts to study, interpret, or teach about the subject-matter of archaeology while rejecting, ignoring, or misunderstanding the accepted Scientific method, data ...

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

, and

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

. Its coverage of alternative medicine includes videos on energy healing,

naturopathy Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. Difficult ...

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

, and

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

. While some of these discuss

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...

in the context of mainstream principles such as balanced diets, many also make disputed claims on subjects such as

detoxification Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period o ...

, superfoods, and the

Paleolithic diet The Paleolithic diet, Paleo diet, caveman diet, or Stone Age diet is a modern fad diet consisting of foods thought by its proponents to mirror those eaten by humans during the Paleolithic era. The diet avoids food processing and typically incl ...

. Several such videos were the result of a controversial partnership with

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

Controversy

In 2018, conspiracy theorist David Wilcock left Gaia. After his departure, his resignation letter was brought to public attention, supposedly claiming Gaia was spreading "Lucifer propaganda." These accusations generated a substantial amount of hate mail and death threats toward employees at Gaia. Wilcock eventually apologized to Gaia, and stated in his apology letter that his words were taken out of context and were meant to remain internal. That same year, Patty Greer, a filmmaker formerly contracted by Gaia, accused the company of "promoting

Luciferianism Luciferianism is a belief system that venerates the essential characteristics that are affixed to Lucifer, the name of various mythological and religious figures associated with the planet Venus. The tradition usually reveres Lucifer not as Satan ...

and using directed-energy weapons against critics." Greer claims she was attacked with a "directed energy weapon" in the

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

airport in 2017. In addition, Greer alleged her films were intentionally removed from the Gaia website. She stated that her refusal to sign a

non-disclosure agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at le ...

involved in regaining distribution rights to her films ultimately led to her content being intentionally removed from the site. In February 2021,

Business Insider ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...

published an investigative piece detailing

workplace harassment Workplace harassment is belittling or threatening behavior directed at an individual worker or a group of workers. Workplace harassment has gained interest among practitioners and researchers as it is becoming one of the most sensitive areas of ef ...

and concerns about the surveillance of Gaia employees by the company. These concerns stemmed from Gaia offering blood tests to employees, as well as unsupported reports that CEO Rysavy had installed 'a machine' on the roof of Gaia headquarters to 'psychically monitor employees.' Following videos and posts from Greer claiming Gaia was infiltrated by

satanists Satanism refers to a group of Religion, religious, Ideology, ideological, or Philosophy, philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic reli ...

and reptilians, Gaia sued Greer for slander. Gaia claimed that Greer was retaliating after a decline in viewership of her videos hosted on Gaia's streaming services. On December 14, 2018, the case was dismissed without prejudice, noting that Greer had not been served. On December 27, Gaia filed another lawsuit against Greer, seeking one million in damages. The lawsuit was settled in 2019, and Greer posted an apology to her website as part of a settlement agreement and removed all of the content surrounding Gaia and #GEM. In her apology, Greer stated "many of those postings were critical of Gaia and its employees, and were either based on my own opinion or information I received from various third-parties (sometimes anonymously). Because I was ultimately unable to corroborate or confirm the information — which Gaia believed to be untrue and unfounded, and which Gaia vehemently denied at all times — I agreed to remove the postings."

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1988 establishments in Colorado American companies established in 1988 Mass media companies established in 1988 Entertainment companies of the United States Internet television streaming services Yoga organizations Companies based in Boulder County, Colorado GoodTimes Entertainment Conspiracist media Yoga mass media Conspiracy theories in the United States New Age media