The Teaching Company

Last updated
The Great Courses
Company type Private
Industry Education
Founded1990;34 years ago (1990)
Founders
  • Thomas M. Rollins
Headquarters
Chantilly, Virginia
,
United States
Products
  • The Great Courses
Owner
Website TheGreatCourses.com
TheGreatCoursesPlus.com
Some of the course materials produced by The Teaching Company, July 2013 The Great Courses Library Shelf.jpeg
Some of the course materials produced by The Teaching Company, July 2013
A former company logo Wondrium logo.webp
A former company logo

The Teaching Company, doing business as "The Great Courses," formerly Wondrium, is a media production company which produces educational, video, and audio content in the form of courses, documentaries, and series under two content brands: The Great Courses Plus and The Great Courses. [1] The company distributes their content globally through a mix of direct-to-consumer models, such as their streaming service Wondrium.com and TheGreatCourses.com, as well as distribution through third party platforms like the Apple TV app, Audible, Amazon Prime, and Roku. [2]

Contents

The Teaching Company, founded by Tom Rollins in 1990, changed its name to The Great Courses and then to Wondrium, It is currently owned by Brentwood Associates PE and is headquartered in Chantilly which is west of Fairfax, Virginia.

History

In 1990, the company was founded by Thomas M. Rollins, former chief counsel of the United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. [3] [4] He had been inspired by a 10-hour video-taped lecture series by Irving Younger which he watched to prepare for an exam while at Harvard Law School. He never forgot the series and wanted to share the experience with others. [5] He recruited professors and experts to record lectures, with the first courses covering psychology, political theory, and Shakespeare. [3] [5]

By 2000, the company was well-established, with about $20 million (USD) in annual revenue. [3] In October 2006, the company was acquired by Brentwood Associates, a private equity investment firm. [6] After the acquisition over 6,000 hours of content were digitized, and the number of courses circulated rose from 20 million to 70 million. [5] [6] Sales increased more than 35% the first year and continued to grow at a double-digit pace. [6] The company added indirect distribution channels like Netflix and Audible to their business model in 2013. [5]

The company introduced its online subscription service in 2015 called The Great Courses Plus, which gave consumers streaming access to the majority of The Great Courses content library through a web browser or iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV app. [5] [7] A year later, it introduced The Great Courses Signature Collection, a subset of Great Courses content offered as a subscription video service through third party platforms like Comcast, Apple TV, and Roku Channels. [8] [2] [9]

In 2016, the firm earned $150 million in annual revenue. [5] In April 2021, the company announced the rebranding of its global streaming platform from the Great Courses Plus to Wondrium. [10] [11] Along with the rebranding, the company announced 1,000 hours of new content sourced from licensing agreements with Kino Lorber, MagellanTV, and Craftsy. [11] The general reaction to changing the name from The Great Courses to Wondrium was one of contempt. Wondrium has now been returned to The Great Courses Plus.

As of 2021, it included over 7,500 hours of content in the format of documentaries, independent films, docuseries, short-form series, featurettes, courses, and tutorials. [11] [12] There are over 1,200 titles with more than 26,000 lectures. [11]

Content

Wondrium produces video and audio content under its two brands: Wondrium and The Great Courses. Both brands focus on educational content with the promise of learning outcomes. [13] The Wondrium line of content, while also educationally focused, focuses on learning experiences outside of the influence of traditional university curriculum and takes other forms of content outside of courses such as documentaries, docuseries, and travelogues. [11] The Great Courses line of content typically features University level experts and professors presenting in-depth learning across multiple lectures. Courses are developed by the experts and the Wondrium production team. [13] Many of the programs' episodes are around thirty minutes. [13]

The production quality of the courses is "a cut above" free courses offered on YouTube, according to a report in The New York Times . [5] President and CEO of Wondrium, Paul Suijk, said that the company is the "Netflix of learning." [5] [14]

Content covers different subjects and categories such as science, math, economics, literature, language, history, religion, philosophy, fine arts, music, better living, health, wellness, how-to courses, personal enrichment, hobbies and leisure, and travel. [13] [8] [15] [10] [11] The company has partnerships with The Culinary Institute of America, the Smithsonian Institution, the Mayo Clinic, National Geographic, Penguin Random House, Scientific American , and others. [13] [5] [7] Self-described fans include Bill Gates and George Lucas, who delivered taped opening remarks to a Great Courses conference in 2015. [7] [16]

Professors and experts

Most programs are delivered by experts in their respective field. [17] The lectures often involve computer graphics and animations; some offer an optional PDF guidebook to serve as a custom-made textbook for the course. [17]

Audio-only titles available through Audible

While many Wondrium titles are available through Audible under The Great Courses brand, the company also produces a line of audio-only titles exclusively for the Audible Originals brand. As of 2022, the company has produced over 75 of those titles including: [18] [19]

Distribution

Wondrium distributes and monetizes their content in a number of ways including through direct-to-consumer models and partnerships with third party distributors.

Wondrium

Wondrium is the company's direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service that offers most of what Wondrium and The Great Courses produces as well as additional licensed non-fiction content from select partners. [12] The streaming service is distributed globally. [20] In 2021, it offered about 7,500 hours of content with three pricing options: a monthly plan, a quarterly plan, and an annual plan. [12] [20] It is available on mobile, web, and platforms including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, and Android. [12] [11] Wondrium offers both video streaming and audio streaming. [11]

The Great Courses Signature Collection

The Great Courses Signature Collection is the second streaming subscription service offered by the company that is distributed by third parties, including Comcast, Roku Channels, Amazon Channels, YouTube, and Apple TV, and focuses specifically on The Great Courses line of content. [21] [9] [8] It contains a limited portion of the total count of Wondrium, and The Great Courses produces and releases it relative to the Wondrium streaming service. This collection consists of more than 300 courses on subjects such as philosophy, ancient and modern history, photography, professional development, science and cooking. [8] As of 2024, courses are offered both through a subscription to The Great Courses library and for individual purchase.

Audible

In 2013, courses were made available through Audible under the Great Courses brand. [22] [5] In 2019, the two companies announced their plan to create new audio-only nonfiction titles. [19] The first three titles were Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories: What We Should Believe - and Why, Medieval Myths and Mysteries, and No Calculator? No Problem!: Mastering Mental Math. [19]

Great Courses (TheGreatCourses.com)

The titles are available to purchase digitally, audio or video, or on DVD. [23] Customers can choose from over 1,200 titles in subject categories including the arts, science, literature, self-improvement, history, music, philosophy, theology, economics, mathematics, business, professional advancement, photography, and cooking. [23]

True History

True History is a Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channel [24] and it features over 650 hours of nonfiction programming from Wondrium. It is available through SelectTV (FreeCast) Roku, Xumo, and other services. [25] [26] [24]

Wondrium Journeys

Wondrium Journeys are immersive vacations "designed to bring the company's vast collection of travel courses, videos, documentaries, and series to life." [27] The first vacation was a 9-day, 8-night trip inspired by the company's course Exploring the Mayan World. The vacations are usually in Europe. [27]

Awards

Regional Emmy Award

Going to the Devil: The Impeachment of 1868 (Nominee, 2020) [13]

Buzzies Award

Webby Award

AIBs Award

Related Research Articles

Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as television series and films, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable television, and/or satellite television systems, streaming television is provided as over-the-top media (OTT), or as Internet Protocol television (IPTV). In the United States, streaming television has become "the dominant form of TV viewing."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audible (service)</span> Online audiobook and podcast service

Audible is an American online audiobook and podcast service that allows users to purchase and stream audiobooks and other forms of spoken word content. This content can be purchased individually or under a subscription model where the user receives "credits" that can be redeemed for content monthly and receive access to a curated on-demand library of content. Audible is the United States' largest audiobook producer and retailer. The service is owned by Audible, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc., headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roku, Inc.</span> American technology company

Roku, Inc. is an American streaming technology company, founded in 2002 by Anthony Wood. It produces streaming players and TVs, licenses its technology to other manufacturers, and distributes streaming services on its platform. Roku leads streaming TV distribution in the U.S., reaching 120 million viewers as of 2024. Outside the U.S., the company operates in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the U.K., and Latin American countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Now is a subscription over-the-top streaming television service launched in the United Kingdom in 2012. It is operated by Sky Group in Europe, and Xfinity in the US; both owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast.

Amazon Prime Video, or simply Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered both as a stand-alone service and as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by Amazon MGM Studios or licensed to Amazon, as Amazon Originals, with the service also hosting content from other providers, content add-ons, live sporting events, and video rental and purchasing services.

Xumo, LLC is an American internet television and consumer electronics company. It is a joint venture of Charter Communications and Comcast that operates the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and advertising video on demand (AVOD) service Xumo Play, and develops digital media players and smart TVs. The Xumo Play platform's service operations are based in the Orange County suburb of Irvine, California. As of October 2020, Xumo Play has 24 million monthly active users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roku</span> Brand of streaming media players

Roku is a brand of consumer electronics that includes streaming players, smart TVs, as well as a free TV streaming service. The brand is owned by Roku, Inc., an American company. As of 2024, Roku is the leading streaming TV distributor in the U.S., reaching nearly 120 million people.

FilmRise, is a New York–based film/television studio and streaming network. As of November 2024, the FilmRise App has reported more than 31.5 million downloads in the U.S. and can be seen on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Comcast, iOS, Android, Apple, Vizio, among many other platforms. FilmRise also syndicates its own digital linear channels to platforms including The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee and Vizio.

AOL On was created as a successor to AOL TV. The launch was announced at the 2012 Digital Content NewFront. AOL On creates news and entertainment reports in the form of short video clips, as well as original web series. All videos are available on demand online or on the Apple TV, TiVo and Android TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sling TV</span> American streaming television service

Sling TV is an American streaming television service operated by Sling TV LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dish Network. Unveiled on January 5, 2015, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor aims to complement subscription video on demand services for cord cutters, offering a selection of major cable channels and OTT-originated services that can be streamed through smart TVs, digital media players and apps. The service is available in the United States and Puerto Rico as of 2015.

HBO Now was an American subscription video on demand streaming service for premium television network HBO owned by WarnerMedia subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc. Officially unveiled on March 9 and launched on April 7, 2015, the service allowed subscribers on-demand access to HBO's library of original programs, films and other content on personal computers, smartphones, tablet devices and digital media players. Unlike HBO Go, HBO's online video on demand service for existing subscribers of the linear television channel, HBO Now was available as a standalone service and did not require a television subscription to use, targeting cord cutters who use competing services such as Netflix and Hulu. In February 2018, HBO Now had 5 million subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pluto TV</span> Internet-based TV platform

Pluto TV is a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FuboTV</span> American streaming television service

FuboTV Inc., operating as FuboTV or Fubo, is an American streaming television service serving customers in Canada, Spain, and the United States and based in Midtown Manhattan. The network focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports. Depending on the country it is accessed in, channels offered by Fubo include access to the Premier League, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, CPL, and international football, as well as news, network television series, and movies.

The Apple TV app is a line of media player software programs developed by Apple Inc. for viewing television shows and films delivered by Apple to consumer electronic devices. It can stream content from the iTunes Store, the Apple TV Channels a la carte video on demand service, and the Apple TV+ original content subscription service. On iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Vision Pro, and Apple TV devices it can also index and access content from linked apps of other video on demand services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMC+</span> American subscription video streaming service

AMC+ is an American subscription video on demand streaming service owned by AMC Networks that was launched on June 11, 2020. The service is a premium bundle that includes the live feeds and program libraries of the company's television networks and streaming brands along with its own exclusive content.

The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the U.K. Launched in September 2017, it is owned and operated by Roku, Inc. The service leads U.S. viewership for free ad-supported streaming TV and reports 120 million viewers as of 2023.

Vision+ is an Indonesian over-the-top video streaming service owned by MNC Group. Established on 15 January 2020, Vision+ service's content consists of video on demand contents, free-to-air and premium channels and livestreaming events & sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Pictures</span> American film distribution company

Giant Pictures is an American independent film distribution company founded by Nick Savva and Jeff Stabenau with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. The company releases feature films, documentaries and series on streaming platforms, with an emphasis on flexibility and customization for filmmakers. Giant Pictures owns and operates specialty theatrical label, Drafthouse Films. Giant is the distribution and technology partner of the Tribeca Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidgo</span> American streaming television service

Vidgo was an American streaming television service that offered over 100 channels of English- and Spanish-language sports, news and general entertainment content. In addition to its live television packages, Vidgo offered a cloud-based digital video recorder and thousands of hours of on-demand programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roku OS</span> Linux distribution

The Roku OS is an operating system software developed by Roku Inc. It has powered consumer electronics products such as Roku-branded streaming players and smart TVs since 2004. The operating system leads the U.S. smart TV sector and reports 70 million users, as of 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2021-04-27). "The Teaching Co. Wants Bigger Bite of Streaming With Rebranded 'Wondrium' Service". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  2. 1 2 "The Great Courses Signature Collection Now Available Through Apple TV Channels". MacRumors. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  3. 1 2 3 MacDonald, Heather (2011-06-21). "Great Courses, Great Profits". City Journal (New York).
  4. ↑ Bales, Kate (1994-02-16). "Ivy League Courses for Price of a Video". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Max, Sarah (2016-05-27). "Born in the VCR Era, Great Courses Seeks to Evolve". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-03-27. ... top educators accessible to the masses, the Great Courses built a loyal audience of lifelong learners by making "the world's greatest professors" ...
  6. 1 2 3 Max, Sarah (2013-07-29). "If Its Customers Love a Business, This Equity Firm Does, Too". The New York Times.
  7. 1 2 3 Martell, Nevin (2015-09-03). "Before YouTube and online classes, there were the Great Courses". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Snider, Mike. "Cutting the Cord: Hit the books with The Great Courses on Amazon Prime". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  9. 1 2 "YouTube TV - See All Channels". YouTube TV - Watch & DVR Live Sports, Shows & News. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  10. 1 2 Duffy, Hill (2022-01-13). "Wondrium Review". PCMAG. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Spangler, Todd (2021-04-27). "The Teaching Co. Wants Bigger Bite of Streaming With Rebranded 'Wondrium' Service". Variety. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Hepburn, Tmera (2021-06-09). "Educational Streaming Platform The Great Courses Plus Rebrands as Wondrium". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Maher, John (2020-11-06). "The Great Courses' Great 30th Year". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  14. ↑ Suijk, Pail. "Paul Suijk, President & CEO at Wondrium". Linkedin. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  15. ↑ Johnson, Dave. "Get smarter without leaving home: Here's a free month of The Great Courses Plus". CNET. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  16. ↑ "The 4 Learning Hacks Bill Gates Swears By". Time. 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  17. 1 2 Johnson, Dave. "Get smarter without leaving home: Here's a free month of The Great Courses Plus". CNET. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  18. ↑ "The top 10 audiobooks on Audible.com". WTOP News. 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  19. 1 2 3 Rowe, Adam. "Audible And The Great Courses Pair For Original Audio Courses". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  20. 1 2 Schneider, Michael (2022-04-04). "'Wondrium Insights' Launches This Summer with Sugar Ray Leonard, Diana Nyad, Mary Lambert and Others". Variety. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  21. ↑ "The Great Courses Signature Collection Now Available Through Apple TV Channels". MacRumors. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  22. ↑ "Audible: The Great Courses".
  23. 1 2 Spangler, Todd (2021-04-27). "The Teaching Co. Wants Bigger Bite of Streaming With Rebranded 'Wondrium' Service". Variety. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  24. 1 2 GetNews. "FreeCast's SelectTV Adds True History from Wondrium". Digital Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  25. ↑ True History Channel , retrieved 2023-03-28
  26. ↑ Barnes, Jess (2021-11-16). "The Roku Channel Adds 15 New Channels to Its Free Lineup". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  27. 1 2 "ATA Partners with Wondrium to launch Wondrium Journeys". Academic Travel Abroad. 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  28. 1 2 3 "Congress '21 unveils nominees for Buzzies Awards" . Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  29. 1 2 "The AIBs | Celebrating the world's best factual content". theaibs.tv. Retrieved 2023-04-06.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.