quibi.com
With the recent surge in popularity of apps like TikTok that offer short video content, it seems like investors are eager to jump on the bite-sized content bandwagon. "The shorter, the better" seems to be the calling card for those looking to reach a younger demographic. But is this really a recipe for success, catering to dwindling attention spans?
Many people and corporate entities believe that Quibi is successful. Even if the public's interest in the platform has not been as large as anticipated, there have been many unpredictable events which have coincided with Quibi's launch, some of which have fundamentally gone against Quibi's entire business model.
I am talking about COVID-19, of course. Quibi has chosen to exclusively traffic in short-form content; 10-minute TV shows, for instance. 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 has made it difficult for people to consume short-form content. So, the last thing that people have wanted or needed is 10-minute videos on a new premium streaming service that they are unfamiliar with. With hours of solitude to kill, the last thing people have been interested in are 10-minute videos on a new streaming service that they are unfamiliar with.
Which may, at a glance, seem ironic when one considers how TikTok, an app that specializes in short-form content (even shorter form than Quibi, actually), has become an overnight staple of social media. However, TikTok is participatory, which is one of the biggest reasons, I think, that people have gravitated towards it during this extended quarantine.
Tik Tok asks you to create something yourself. 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 neglect its potential as a social media streaming service- especially 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 big deal of its launch, gaining tons of celebrity endorsements and putting on one of the most extravagant launches from an unknown company that we have ever seen in the tech space. However, it is clear that the initial numbers are nowhere near what was expected. It looks like even more money is going to continue to be invested in Quibi in the next year to come, but is Quibi worth investing your money in, in the form of a monthly subscription fee? Let's take a look, shall we?
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 include The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, NBC Universal, Viacom CBS, Warner Media, Liberty Global, and Alibaba Group.
Quibi, a Canadian telecommunications company, has since begun its international growth by announcing a partnership with the Canadian telecommunications company BCE. This partnership will allow Bell Media division to produce Canadian news and sporting content as well as provide telecom marketing support to Quibi. Bell Mobility is Quibi's exclusive telecom marketing partner.
Quibi, a new app that is designed to be used on smartphones, officially launched in the United States and Canada on April 6th, 2020. Within its first week, Quibi saw 1.7 million downloads of its app. However, by early May, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower, Quibi was ranked 125th on the App Store. In contrast with Quibi's own numbers, Sensor Tower reports that Quibi was downloaded by 2.9 million users while Quibi boasts 3.5 million users as of May 1st.
Regardless of what numbers are more accurate, Quibi asserts 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 absolutely adore Quibi's design. It is intuitive, easy to use, fast, streamlined, and fun. I always appreciate it when a streaming app can provide a novel or interesting way to browse content. This is precisely what Quibi has done with its design.
From here, you can either watch the latest episode or jump to a particular scene.
Instead of displaying thumbnails or tiles of show episodes, Quibi has opted for a newsfeed-like swiping model - 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 playing. Alternately, tap on the text of the title to find a menu. From here, you can either watch the latest episode or jump to a particular scene.
From here, choose from More Info and Episodes, Follow, Download, Share, Not Interested, or Play. Everything about this app is designed specifically for smartphones and tablets. The design is perfect for the content.
Content and Features
As most people know, Quibi is all about providing quick bites of content. This defines the type of content that can be found on Quibi, which tends to be very pop culture oriented. Shows like Chrissy's Court (which features Chrissy Teigan spoofing shows like Judge Judy and The Real World), a reboot of Punk'd (starring Chance the Rapper), and Kirby Jenner (an exploration of the Kardashian dynasty from another perspective) are all examples of this.
I found that Quibi has a lot of pop culture forward content, but some content is also geared towards those who want more in-depth information. Overall, I think it's a great platform with something for everyone.
Quibi also offers high-quality streaming, the ability to toggle quality, a "minimize data" feature, left-handed mode (which changes the orientation of the whole app to better suit lefties), a personalized curation of shows, and the ability to download content for offline watching.
Pricing and Plans
If you are interested in using Quibi today, you will have to register for a subscription plan. There are two subscription tiers - a 2-week trial period is available, but it is only a 2-week trial. If you want to continue using Quibi after the trial period ends, you will need to subscribe to one of the following payment plans:
If you'd like to use Quibi, you must first sign up for one of their subscription plans. There are two options - a 2-week trial period is available, but it's only for two weeks. If you want to keep using Quibi after the trial is over, you will need to subscribe and pay for it. The two options are as follows:
An ad-supported service will allow users to view advertisements and receive payments for viewing them. This service is available for a monthly subscription fee.
Current ad-free subscription prices are $7.99/month. If you would like to cancel your subscription, you can do so at any time for a full refund.
I think these two tiers are self-explanatory. According to Quibi, their $7.99 tier offers 10-minute episodes of content, while the $9.99 tier offers 30-minute episodes. To me, the $7.99 price tag for 10-minute episodes seems a bit pricey, but that's just my opinion - I prefer my shows to have more substance than that. However, with new shows nearly every day, if you don't mind the shorter content, you will certainly get your money's worth at either tier.
Suggestions that I have for Quibi
I would like to see Quibi become more accessible on other devices. The fact that Quibi is not compatible with ChromeCast is absurd to me. I understand that this service is primarily for smartphone viewing, but if I want to cast a 10-minute Quibi episode to my Smart TV, I should be able to do so with ease.
I believe that Quibi should consider adding syndicated television content (even if that content is longer than 10 minutes) as its "thing," so to speak. This doesn't mean that Quibi should neglect the whole of TV that has come before it, right?
Finally, Quibi needs to embrace social media features if it wishes to survive.
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