VidAngel

The company's core service allows users to filter content such as profanity, nudity, and violence from movies and TV shows streamed through other platforms. Initially, VidAngel operated on a disc-based model where customers would "buy" a movie for $20 and then "sell" it back for $19, effectively renting a filtered movie for $1. This business model, which the company argued was protected by the Family Movie Act of 2005, led to significant legal challenges. In 2016, major Hollywood studios, including Disney and Warner Bros., filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against VidAngel.

The ensuing legal battle prompted VidAngel to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017 as a strategic move to protect the company and reorganize around a new streaming-based model. This new system enables filtering on content from services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+. In 2020, VidAngel reached a settlement, agreeing to pay $9.9 million to the studios and to not filter content from the plaintiffs. Following the settlement, the company emerged from bankruptcy. In 2021, the original filtering business was separated from a new entity, Angel Studios, which focuses on crowdfunded original content. Bill Aho became the new CEO of VidAngel Entertainment, which continues to offer the filtering service under new ownership as of 2022.