quibi.com
Investors have been in a mad dash to invest in bite-sized content platforms, such as TikTok, that serve up extremely short videos. It seems that the shorter, the better, as this is seen as an effective way to reach a younger demographic. But is this really the recipe for success? To cater to dwindling attention spans may not be the best strategy in the long run.
Despite the public's lack of interest, many corporate entities and people who backed Quibi seem to believe that it is a success. Some events that have occurred since its launch have gone against the company's original business model, but this does not mean Quibi is a failure.
I am speaking of course about the COVID-19 pandemic. Quibi, as opposed to the traditional half-hour TV episodes and 2-hour movies, has chosen to exclusively traffic in short-form content; 10-minute TV shows, for example. This easily digestible, quickly consumed model for content was heavily marketed as a way to stymie boredom while, say, to wait in line or to need to kill some quick time while you are out.
However, with the pandemic came social distancing orders and intensive quarantining. This, combined with the fact that people were unfamiliar with Quibi prior to the pandemic, has led to a decrease in viewership of 10-minute videos on a new premium streaming service.
Which may at a quick glance seem ironic when considering how Quibi, an app that specializes in short-form content (even shorter form than Tik Tok, actually), has become an overnight staple of social media. However, Tik Tok is participatory which is one of the main reasons, I think, that people have gravitated towards it during this extended quarantine.
Tik Tok asks you to create something yourself; it is experiential and active. Quibi, on the other hand, is yet another passively consumed streaming service - people have seemed content with their Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime subscriptions with so many hours to fill. Then, of course, there is the social nature of Tik Tok - another component that Quibi is missing. Which, in my mind, is very shocking. To see Quibi neglecting its potential as a social media streaming service when social media is king and short-form content is made for social media, is astonishing. Especially when you look at how much money went into Quibi (and from whom it came).
Quibi made a large public spectacle of its launch, gaining numerous celebrity endorsements and exhibiting one of the most lavish launches by an unknown company in the tech sector. At this point, I am unwilling to declare Quibi a failure, but it is clear that initial numbers are not meeting expectations. It appears that even more money will be invested in Quibi in the next year; however, is Quibi worth investing in with a monthly subscription fee? Let's take a look.
History
Quibi was founded by American film producer and media proprietor, Jeffrey Katzenberg in August of 2018. Meg Whitman, however, took the helm shortly thereafter. In 2018, during its first round of funding, Quibi managed to raise a whopping $1 billion from 11 separate investors and major Hollywood film and TV studios. These included The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, NBC Universal, Viacom CBS, Warner Media, Liberty Global, and Alibaba Group.
Quibi has since announced its partnership with the Canadian telecommunications company, BCE, which will allow Bell Media to produce Canadian news and sporting content. Bell Mobility will be Quibi's exclusive telecom marketing partner.
Quibi officially launched in the United States and Canada on April 6, 2020. Within its first week, Quibi saw 1.7 million downloads of its app. Quibi fell out of the top 50 most downloaded iPhone apps in the US by early May according to analytics firm Sensor Tower, but was ranked 125th on the App Store by early May.
Regardless of what number is more accurate, Quibi claims that it currently has 1.3 million active monthly users. Katzenberg himself has acknowledged that this level of performance was not close to what we wanted, going on to say, "I attribute everything that has gone wrong to the Coronavirus." I suppose only time will tell, however, whether the pandemic truly is to blame for Quibi's lackluster performance.
Design
I think that Quibi's design is perfect for smartphones. It is very intuitive and easy to use, fast, streamlined, and fun. I always appreciate it when a streaming app can provide a novel or interesting way to peruse the content. This is what Quibi has done in the way that it streams videos quickly and smoothly.
From here, you can access the show's full cast and crew bios, as well as further episode information.
Instead of providing tiles or thumbnails of show episodes, for the main section of the app: For You, Quibi has opted for a very intuitive newsfeed-like swiping model - again, much like that of Tik Tok. Based on your preferences and your viewing habits, simply swipe up and down through titles. Find a series or special that you are interested in? Simply tap into it to begin watching. Alternately, tap on the text of the title to find a menu. From here, you can access the show's full cast and crew bios, as well as further episode information.
From here, choose from More Info and Episodes, Follow, Download, Share, Not Interested, or Play. Everything about this app is specifically designed for smartphones or tablets. The design is very fitting for the content.
Content and Features
Quibi is a platform that provides short, 10-minute content in a variety of genres. This is often referred to as "quick bites." What you can expect from Quibi shows is generally pop-culture oriented, with shows like Chrissy's Court (featuring Chrissy Teigan parodying shows like Judge Judy and The Real Housewives), a reboot of Punk'd (starring Chance the Rapper), and Kirby Jenner being some examples.
Additionally, Quibi also offers news segments from NBC, BBC, Vox, ESPN, Telemundo, TMZ, Entertainment Weekly, E-News, Rotten Tomatoes, and iHeart Radio (to name a few). I found that the content on Quibi is very pop culture forward but there is something here for everyone - assuming you don't mind exclusively short-form content.
Quibi also offers high-quality streaming (with the ability to toggle quality), a minimized data feature, left-handed mode (which changes the orientation of the whole app to better suit lefties), a completely personalized curation of shows, and the ability to download content for offline viewing.
Pricing and Plans
monthly, quarterly, or yearly.
Quibi offers two subscription tiers: a monthly and quarterly plan. They also have a 2-week trial period. If you are interested in using Quibi today, though, you will have to register for one of the following payment plans: monthly, quarterly, or yearly.
This service provides access to articles and other content from a wide variety of sources for a monthly fee.
Ad-Free: $7.99/month with a one-time payment of $39.99
Monthly: $7.99/month
Monthly: $7.99/month with a one-time payment of $39.99
I believe these two tiers are self-explanatory. Is Quibi worth the money? This question depends on what you hope to gain from your chosen streaming service. At $7.99 per month, to me, it seems a bit pricy for 10-minute episodes - but that's just my opinion. However, with new shows appearing nearly every day, if you do not mind shorter content, you will undoubtedly receive your money's worth.
Suggestions that I have for Quibi
I would like to see Quibi become more accessible on other devices. The fact that Quibi is not ChromeCast compatible is absurd to me. It makes no sense that I can't cast a 10-minute Quibi episode to my Smart TV, which is the primary device I use for watching Quibi content.
I also think that Quibi should consider adding some syndicated television content (even if that content is longer than 10 minutes). I believe that it can still be Quibi's "thing," so to speak, to offer short-form content, but that doesn't mean they have to neglect the whole of TV that has come before it, right?
Finally, Quibi needs to embrace some form of social media features in order to survive.
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