DreamFlare has emerged from stealth to launch what is being billed as the first streaming platform for GenAI video. In addition to the consumer-facing subscription platform, the business model includes a sort of AI studio where creators can tap the expertise of professional storytellers to produce AI video using third-party tools like Runway, Sora and Midjourney. The company will feature two types of content: Flips, which are animated narratives with audio that viewers can also examine frame-by-frame, as with comic books, and Spins, described as “short movies” featuring branched narratives that provide interactive plot choices.

“’The launch of DreamFlare comes at a time when artists in Hollywood see AI technology as a threat,” writes TechCrunch, citing a 2024 study by the Animation Guild that found “75 percent of film production companies using AI have decreased or eliminated jobs.”

By offering creators earning opportunities, DreamFlare may mitigate those concerns somewhat. “Creators will earn money from revenue-sharing on subscriptions and advertising, as well as a few other options,” reports TechCrunch, though the split was not disclosed.

DreamFlare’s creator participants are allowed to use any existing generative video models with paid plans. While most third-party AI firms don’t disclose model training practices, DreamFlare “claims to have a rigorous review process to ensure submissions are not based on copyrighted material,” TechCrunch writes, explaining that original content and work that derives from public domain properties are allowed, while “content inspired by copyrighted intellectual property like ‘Star Wars’” is not.

The platform provides a DMCA takedown notice for those who claim copyright violation. Additionally, it does not accept R-rated content.

“DreamFlare has partnered with Oscar and Emmy-winning directors and secured exclusive intellectual property agreements,” the company explains in an announcement, adding “the content that lives on DreamFlare can only be seen on DreamFlare.”

Claiming “a pre-launch subscriber base” in excess of three million followers, the web-based DreamFlare streaming storefront is up and running with free content like “The Great Catspy” (pictured above) and “Sleepy Hollow: Ep. 1” and a pitch for premium membership that includes “exclusive access to your favorite DreamFlare creators.” A DreamFlare merch shop is “coming soon.”

The startup was founded in 2021 by CEO Josh Liss, a former Google marketing executive, and Creative Director Rob Bralver, whose CV includes collaborations with David Lynch, Moby and Kanye West.

“DreamFlare AI raised $1.65 million in a pre-seed round led by FoundersX and angels,” writes Forbes, explaining “they’ve been in stealth until now, recognizing that though this is still early days, many pioneers are racing to stake out territory” in the AI video space.