Marathon is winding down
Since 2022, Marathon has been the place to explore, log, and discuss TV. In just 2.5 years, we launched apps across iOS, Android, and web; released 40 updates that reimagined the second screen experience; and built a TV-loving community of over 26,000 members.
I am incredibly proud of all that Marathon has become and the community that has blossomed around it. Today, I'm sharing an important update: Marathon is officially winding down operations on March 31, 2025.
This is not a decision that I make lightly. Thousands of people use Marathon every week: watching hit shows and connecting with friends and family over reviews. Unfortunately, as our community continues to grow, Marathon has hit growing pains and I can no longer financially support running the operation.
What happened?
Running an app is expensive. As Marathon's community continues to grow, so do the costs it takes to keep the servers running. Over the past few years, I've tried a few different avenues to cover our running costs.
I started our journey by creating a Ko-fi, allowing folks to optionally donate to support Marathon's development. While this got some traction, it wasn't enough to keep up with our monthly bill.
In August 2023, our friends at Upstatement joined the Marathon story by becoming our first partner. Until this point, Marathon was completely sustained off my own income. With this partnership in place, we now had enough capital to keep us going for another year or so.
Shortly after, I began planning how to start generating revenue to keep Marathon running indefinitely. This past August saw the launch of Marathon+, a new subscription service where we could offer additional perks for the low cost of $1.99 per month. With Marathon+, we launched a ton of new features: custom posters, rich reviews, tags, and our latest 2024 rewatch experience. Despite getting more traction than Ko-fi, we do not have enough subscriptions to cover our growing monthly costs.
I've spent the past few months looking at other avenues to keep Marathon going. Unfortunately, these efforts have not proven fruitful. To give our members enough time to transition, I've decided that it's now time to wind down.
What does this mean for Marathon members?
The data of our members is my highest priority. Starting today, I've added an export tool to the Marathon iOS and Android app, allowing you to download your full watch history, lists, and reviews.
March 3, 2025
- New sign-ups will be disabled
- Data export tools will be available (until March 31, 2025)
March 31, 2025
- Marathon and all corresponding data will be fully wound down (at 9PM ET)
What's next?
After some time off, I will begin open-sourcing the best parts of Marathon to give back to the React Native and Rails communities that have helped me over the past few years.
I'm incredibly proud of everything I accomplished with Marathon and the wonderful community that has gathered around it. I've learned so much throughout this experience that I hope to take with me on future endeavors.
Thank you so much for your support over the years and for joining me on this journey.
— Josh
"What is grief if not love persevering?"