Another overly niche streaming service is closing up shop. On Friday, Alpha – a geek-friendly streaming service that focused on TV, pop-culture, sci-fi, comics, video games and more – announced it was shutting down. The subscription-based streaming service had been a joint venture between Nerdist and Geek & Sundry, and offered $4.99-per-month access to a mix of exclusive original content and other fan favorites from both brands.
Launched in 2016 by Legendary Digital Networks, the company had claimed a year ago it had a “six-figure” subscriber base that had grown by 200 percent over the past year. But even then, its potential reach would have remained small – Nerdist and Geek & Sundry combined had 8 million monthly uniques. Only a fraction of that audience would have likely converted to paying customers.
The company says today Alpha customers watched a cumulative 600 million minutes.
In an announcement to subscribers, the company said Alpha will no longer be active as of March 31, 2019. As of today, it will no longer accept subscriptions and renewals. However, existing subscribers can continue to watch until the end.
Some of the service’s content will move to Twitch, while others will become VOD (video on demand.)
“This is the end of an era that we will remember fondly, but it’s also the beginning of a future where more of the premium Nerdist and Geek & Sundry content featured on Alpha will be available to more viewers than ever,” the company wrote in an email to subscribers.
The decision to close up Alpha appears to have been fairly recent. In August 2018, the company acquired a sci-fi drama “Sona” starring Ashley Clements for the service, and commissioned a new sci-fi series “Orbital Redux” which was to be streamed live, as a twist to get viewers to watch.
But at the end of the day, there’s a lot of competition for consumers’ dollars on the wider streaming market, and plenty of bingeable sci-fi and pop culture content to be found elsewhere.
The full email to subscribers is below:
Dear Valued Alpha Member,
We regret to announce that effective March 31, 2019, we will be closing Alpha. All of us at Nerdist and Geek & Sundry are so thankful to you for being a part of this amazing community. Since Alpha launched in November of 2016, we have watched over 600 million minutes of content together. We’ve laughed. We’ve cried. We’ve GIFed. And we’ve cherished the friendships we’ve made. And while Alpha is going away, we have some exciting news to share.
First things first, starting today, new subscriptions/renewals will no longer be accepted, however all accounts that are active on March 1, 2019, will continue to be active until the service closes. If you have remaining months on an annual subscription after March 31, 2019, we will refund any prepaid amounts on a prorate basis to your payment method on file.
But here’s the good news! As part of an ongoing partnership with Twitch, the library of Alpha content will be streamed to the Twitch platform effective immediately. Some titles are already being shown on the Geek & Sundry Twitch Channel, and episodes that have been streamed will remain viewable as VODs to subscribers. We would love for you to come join us on Twitch, so we can continue entertaining each other. Don’t worry. If you’re not already a Twitch account-holder, signing up is a breeze!
This is the end of an era that we will remember fondly, but it’s also the beginning of a future where more of the premium Nerdist and Geek & Sundry content featured on Alpha will be available to more viewers than ever.
Thanks for coming along with us on this continuing adventure.
Your Friends at Alpha
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