# Discovery Channel and Curiosity Stream: John Hendricks

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-01-17
- Length: 1h 13m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks

## Summary

John Hendricks, founder of Discovery Channel and Curiosity Stream, recounts the arduous process of launching a documentary cable network in the early 1980s with no money, no content, and no industry connections. He details the strategic pivot from a pure educational model to a hybrid revenue stream of advertising and carriage fees, culminating in a near-death experience when a $6 million investment collapsed days before closing. Hendricks explains how he secured final funding from cable mogul John Malone and TCI, later launching Curiosity Stream to return to his original mission of high-quality nonfiction content in the streaming era.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks#t=0) Introduction: John Hendricks and the Idea for Discovery
- [5:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks#t=313) Early Life and the Genesis of the Cable Channel Idea
- [16:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks#t=976) Building the Business Plan and Securing Satellite Access
- [24:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks#t=1490) The Business Model: Advertising vs. Carriage Fees
- [41:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks#t=2470) Fundraising Challenges and the Collapse of the $6M Deal
- [54:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks#t=3291) The Hail Mary: John Malone and TCI Save Discovery
- [59:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks#t=3557) Launch, Break-Even, and the Rise of Shark Week
- [1:06:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-17-discovery-channel-and-curiosity-stream-john-hendricks#t=4007) Evolution of Discovery and the Launch of Curiosity Stream

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Discovery Channel (product)
- Curiosity Stream (product)
- Shark Week (product)
- Westinghouse (company)
- BBC (company)
- John Malone (other)
- TCI (company)
- Alan and Company (company)
- Chronicle Publishing (company)
- Netflix (company)
- HBO (company)
- CNN (company)
- ESPN (company)
- MTV (company)
- Comcast (company)
- Cox (company)
- United Cable (company)
- Planet Earth (product)
- Cosmos (product)
- The Children of Abraham (product)

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- [#179 - Bootstrap Heroes: Hazard's Hop Water, SWAIR, Gourmend Foods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-01-21-179-bootstrap-heroes-hazards-hop-water-swair-gourmend-foods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [The Founder Fundraising Journey: Karl Franz Williams, Founder of Uncle Waithleys](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-12-06-the-founder-fundraising-journey-karl-franz-williams-founder-of-uncle-waithleys) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder + Funder: Fundraising, Retail Growth, and Building a Modern Hydration Brand with Alex Michaelsen of Leisure Hydration and Ryan Springer of Midnight](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-27-founder-funder-fundraising-retail-growth-and-building-a-modern-hydration-brand-w) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [397: The Gift Curtain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2023-05-05-397-the-gift-curtain) (Making It)

## Citing this page

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