Will people pay for a subscription to Quibi short-form content? How short is the question? Quibi caps their films at ten minutes, but are people biting? It’s worth mentioning that it’s only available on mobile and tablet units. No TV streaming. No web streaming. Jeffrey Katzenberg bet big on Quibi, investing a mammoth amount of money into the platform to the tune of one billion dollars, after teaming up with Meg Whitman. They’re focused on something new. And by new, that means Quibi original content, not a bunch of reruns that have been rehashed, dozens of times.
When it comes to viewing Quibi, there’s a quirky twist. In fact, twist a phone from vertical to a horizontal position, and the viewer may see a different perspective of the same screenshot. Quibi is banking on fast-paced living and quickly digestible content as a go-to when viewers are short on time but want to watch something of quality. They’ll let you try it out before fully committing, which is a plus. This way, viewers can see if this is something that they’re ready to pay for.
In an interview for Fortune, Quibi says report that it lost 92% of early subscribers is ‘incorrect by an order of magnitude’. Katzenberg said that percentage was misstated, and that’s not the case at all. In fact, he said they were seeing a solid conversion rate to paying subscribers.
Quibi’s original content is purposed with mobile viewing in mind and wasn’t shot for larger screens. It’s quick, it’s mobile-friendly, it’s…up in the air if this will catch on at the rate they’re hoping.
If Quibi app downloads are any indication of it catching on, people are certainly giving it a shot. To see the full viewing experience and to see how the “Turnstyle” viewing from landscape to portrait works, there’s a strong review on The Verge, in the article Quibi app review: shifting landscape, that gives a solid rundown.
What do Idris Elba, Chrissy Teigen, Anna Kendrick, and the Kardashians have in common? They’ve all made material for Quibi. Was it enough to create a hit? Time will tell. Quibi may surprise us all.
