ABOUT
What is Means TV
Means TV is the world’s first worker-owned, post-capitalist streaming service.
Launching on 2.26.2020, Means TV will have a library of documentaries, movies, and shows with new programming added all the time. We’ll also have live weekly shows covering news, culture, gaming and sports.
All of this will be available to subscribers for $10/month across desktop, mobile and smart TV devices like Roku, Fire and Apple TV.
No ads or product placements. No corporate backers or VC cash ever.
We’re entirely funded and sustained by people like you.
Why is this necessary?
Film is the most powerful tool we have for imagining different worlds and empathizing with other’s experiences.
But right now, most movies and TV shows are made by a handful of rich guys and corporations who want to keep things the way they are.
(90% of the United States’s media is controlled by just five companies!!)
If working people owned the means of film and television production and distribution instead, entertainment would not only be better, funnier, and more interesting, but would also reflect much more closely the realities of living as a working class person in the United States.
We make entertainment free from the corruption of shareholders, and advertisers that drive the majority of our entertainment and media. This is a cultural gaslighting of epic proportion.
How do I get it?
For $10/month, subscribers will have access to the Means TV library of shows and movies. Like Netflix or Hulu.
Unlike those other sites, Means TV won’t be funded through billions of dollars in debt securities or cash flow from international multimedia conglomerates.
We’ll be funded the old-fashioned way: by viewers like you.
If you’re a subscriber, you’ll be able to access the Means TV app on devices like Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV as well as on your mobile IOS or Android devices.
We’re also committed to combatting the racist, and violent rhetoric espoused by right-wing accounts on Youtube so we’ll work to always put out free and shortened premium content on Youtube for general audiences and to reach new viewers.
As a subscriber, you’re supporting us in the Youtube wars as well.
How can I support Means TV now?
We’re funded entirely by donations from people like you. The best way you can help is to become a monthly donor to support us until we launch in February.
Even if it’s $5/month, it helps us predict incoming revenue and ensure we can have enough capital to finish production of the first season of shows and movies.
How do I become a monthly donor?
Visit our Action Network page, click the donation amount and then select “reoccurring monthly”.
Every month you’ll get an email when your donation has gone through. You can cancel through Action Network at any time.
Donations made through our fundraiser are not tax deductible.
What if I selected “pre-subscribe when Means TV launches” when I donated?
If you chose to pre-subscribe to Means TV when you donated on the Action Network page, that means you’re on a separate mailing list and will have the chance to access the streaming platform before anyone else.
You will not be automatically enrolled and your credit card will not be charged.
I want to support but I don’t have a credit card
For questions on payment, please email contact@means.media with your concern and we’ll work to find a solution.
Have more questions? Email us and we’ll do our best to get them answered! contact@means.media
Where does fundraised and eventual monthly subscription money go?
This is how we make the content that you like. It’s like kickstarting a whole bunch of shows at once.
All donations go toward creating new shows, videos, and movies, acquiring different films and properties for you to watch, and building the digital and physical infrastructure for Means TV.
Will Means TV be available in other countries and languages?
Yes! Our website meets European privacy guidelines as well as US privacy guidelines so we first recommend international viewers try viewing our content on our website means.tv.
We also post many videos on Youtube which is available in many countries. We’ll be working to upload transcriptions in languages other than English to youtube for international viewers as well.
Right now, most of our content is in English, but we seek to expand that as we work with more international filmmakers.
We will have subtitles and dubbing available on the full platform in as many languages as we can. Feel free to reach out with any other questions!
When will the platform launch?
2.26.2020.
Working with Means TV
Means is a work-owned cooperative and a member of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. We provide qualifying full-time employees equal voting power, as well as shares of the coop’s profit.
I want to work for Means TV
Please send your resume and a message to contact@means.media.
Media
Email contact@means.media with any inquiries.
