When education companies build curriculum, assessments, or instructional products, one of the most important decisions they face is whether to license existing content or commission new material. That choice affects development speed, cost, customization, editorial control, and long-term scalability.
For many teams, content licensing is the faster path. It provides access to professionally developed articles, videos, images, and other media that can be integrated into products without starting from scratch. Commissioning original content, however, still plays a critical role when a product requires a highly specific instructional model, voice, or structure.
The right decision is not about choosing one approach over the other in every case. It is about knowing when content licensing makes more sense, when commissioning is worth the investment, and how AI is changing both options.
What is Content Licensing?
Content licensing is the process of obtaining the rights to use content created by another publisher, media company, or content provider. Instead of writing, filming, or illustrating every asset internally, a team licenses content that already exists and incorporates it into curriculum programs, digital learning platforms, assessments, or other instructional products.
Licensed content can include:
- Nonfiction articles
- Informational texts
- Short-form videos
- Historical documents
- Images and illustrations
- Other instructional media
For education companies, licensing content can significantly reduce development time while still delivering high-quality material that supports educational goals. An example of high-quality content that could easily be used in an educational product is informational texts that help learners determine the difference between what’s real and fake online.
Content Licensing vs. Commissioning: What Is the Difference?
The difference between content licensing and commissioning comes down to whether a team uses existing assets or creates something new.
Content licensing allows organizations to work with content that has already been professionally produced and reviewed. This is often the best option when speed, scale, and efficiency matter most.
Commissioning original content means hiring writers, editors, illustrators, or producers to create material specifically for a product. This gives teams more control, but it usually requires more time, more budget, and more production oversight.
| Factor | Content Licensing | Commissioning Original Content |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Faster | Slower |
| Cost | Often lower upfront | Usually higher |
| Customization | Limited to existing assets and permitted adaptations | High |
| Editorial control | Moderate | Full |
| Scalability | Strong for large-volume needs | More resource-intensive |
| Best use case | Tight timelines, broad coverage, existing content needs | Specialized products, unique frameworks, custom voice |
When Licensing Content Makes More Sense
Licensing content is often the better choice when the goal is to move quickly without sacrificing quality.
This approach is especially valuable when a product requires:
- Large volumes of informational text
- Authentic nonfiction topics
- Broad subject coverage
- Tight production timelines
- Professionally produced material that can be evaluated before use
For example, a digital reading platform that needs a wide range of leveled nonfiction topics may benefit from licensing an established content library instead of producing every article in-house. We highlighted our digital reading platform in our blog post about Reading Stars, where kids benefit from a gamified platform that encourages them to read short-form, authentic texts. A curriculum publisher developing supplemental materials across multiple grades may also find that licensing offers the fastest path to market.
Licensing can also reduce execution risk. Because the content already exists, teams can review quality, voice, and instructional fit before committing to use it. That is often a major advantage in curriculum and assessment development.
When Commissioning Original Content Makes More Sense
Commissioning original content is usually the better option when the product requires precision and customization.
This can include situations where content must:
- Match a specific instructional framework
- Follow a unique assessment design
- Reflect a defined brand voice
- Meet exact scope and sequence requirements
- Address highly specific learning objectives
For example, if an assessment product requires passages written to exact psychometric or standards-alignment specifications, commissioning original content may be the only practical path. The same is true for instructional materials that must fit a proprietary pedagogy or a highly differentiated classroom experience.
Custom development gives teams full control, but that control comes at a cost. It typically requires more planning, writing, editing, review, and production time than licensing.
Other things to consider when licensing content
Other factors that will impact the decision to license content versus commission it are the legal terms and clearances associated with licensed content.
A content license will usually be bounded by a license term and frequently territory limitations and generally will be limited to one product use. Publishers need to consider how long a particular product will be in market to determine how long of a licensing term needs to be negotiated, and a longer term will be more expensive. Understanding where a product will be marketed and sold will impact the territories or regions that the license must cover. Like with a longer term, worldwide rights to licensed content will impact the licensing fee.
How AI Is Changing Content Development
AI is making the decision between licensing and commissioning more nuanced, and that decision is not just a financial one.
Teams are no longer asking only whether they should license content or create it. They are also asking how AI can help them adapt, level, tag, search, and organize content more efficiently once it enters the workflow. Ensuring human oversight over AI-generated or modified content is also a critical element when considering application in the classroom.
For example, AI can support:
- Reading level adjustment
- Metadata generation
- Standards tagging
- Semantic search across content libraries
- Content adaptation for multiple product formats
- Personalized learning paths
These capabilities can make licensed content even more valuable. A strong content library can now support more use cases, such as training and providing the age-appropriate knowledge base for intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), if teams can quickly identify, classify, and adapt the right assets for different products. Responsible use of AI with appropriate guardrails and oversight is essential, given that the content will be used in the classroom. As Park University explains, this is even more important in remote areas where in-person tutors are not available, and a well-trained ITS can improve access to education and support. “AI-powered tutoring systems can offer one-on-one support that provides explanations and guides students through complex problems.”
At the same time, AI does not eliminate the need for strategy. It makes strategy more important. The teams that move fastest will be the ones that know which content should be licensed, which content should be commissioned, and where AI can improve the workflow without weakening quality and pedagogical integrity.
How to Choose the Right Approach for Your Next Project
There is no universal answer in the content licensing vs. commissioning decision. The right choice depends on the goals of the product, the timeline, the budget, and the level of customization required.
In general:
- Choose licensing when speed, scale, and access to high-quality existing content are the top priorities.
- Choose commissioning when the product requires a highly customized structure, voice, or instructional design.
- Use both when you want to balance efficiency with precision.
For many education companies, the strongest strategy is not licensing or commissioning alone. It is combining both approaches in a way that matches the real needs of the product.
Final Takeaway
For education companies, the best decision is rarely licensing or commissioning in isolation. The strongest content strategies use both, applying each approach where it delivers the most value.
Content licensing helps teams move faster, scale efficiently, and expand product offerings with professionally developed material. Commissioning provides the control and precision needed for highly specialized products. With AI now improving how teams adapt and organize content, the opportunity is not just to choose between the two. It is to build a smarter workflow around both.
Schedule a demo to check out Cricket’s Licensing Library ⬇️
