Mobile-only streaming platform Quibi launches in lockdown

Tech
Social
Posted 6 April, 2020

By Jamie Watts

London, UK

0 energy + Add Energy

0 comments

After sinking $1.8 billion into star power and content production, Quibi execs have decided to launch the mobile-centric service in lockdown.

Businesses all across the globe are trying to keep their heads above water in this time of global crisis, but a select few are flourishing under the circumstances. With a large sum of the world forced to stay inside and entertain ourselves for an indefinite period of time, we’re looking for all the digital filler we can get. Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime have even had to temporarily reduce their default resolutions to account for the unprecedented inflow of subscribers.

The next app looking to target this captive and hyper-engaged audience is Quibi, a mobile-centric streaming service that specialises in short form content. It may sound a little strange as a blanket policy, but as we understand it no Quibi content will exceed a run time of 10-minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=kqkX-7EOY2k

You’d be forgiven for instantly thinking: ‘Well Quibi is just another place for YouTube or TikTok-esque video bites then’. You’d be wrong. The platform is planning to host everything from original movies (segmented into short chapters), TV shows, quick hit news stories, documentaries, and unscripted reality shows. If you keep up with Thred, you’ll recall we recently covered a story on popular E-sports outfit Team FaZe and their Quibi hosted reality TV hunt for a new member.

To this point veteran executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman have siphoned over $1.8 billion from keen investors and have managed to enlist A-list stars like Jennifer Lopez, LeBron James, Idris Elba, Chance the Rapper, Bill Murray, Sophie Turner, and even Steven Spielberg for Quibi shows to maximise the platform’s chances of success in the wild. But despite this impressive line-up, it has to be said: launching a billion-dollar venture during a pandemic is a huge risk.

What has Quibi got going for it then? Well, before Covid-19 dug its clutches into the Earth, Whitman pitched Quibi as the ultimate on-the-go diversion for commuters. Obviously, the landscape has changed drastically since then, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Whitman and Katzenberg are now peddling the platform as a ‘distraction‘ to bring ‘relief to those looking to escape’. And under this new guise Quibi could really thrive.

Think for a minute, just how often do you and your family use your phones on lockdown at the moment? Now consider that Quibi ticks all the boxes for the most sought-after audience ever, Gen Z. Renowned as digital natives, Gen Z spend upwards of five hours a day on their phones, have a significantly shorter attention span than that of millennials (which bodes well for Quibi’s formula), and most notably have a potential spending power of $143 billion. If you’re going to market a product to anyone, make no mistake about it Gen Z are the golden ticket.

After ‘interactive TV’s’ flash in the pan in 2019 (with Netflix’s Bandersnatch, You vs. Wild, and YouTube’s interactive arm) Quibi is trying to bring the concept back in a meaningful way for 2020. Every product on Quibi will be optimised to show off their unique feature: ‘Turnstyle’, which will allow the user to switch between portrait and landscape mode with on-screen events corresponding seamlessly to fill the space.

Currently, we’re a little dubious as to whether Quibi can usher in the ‘third generation of film narrative‘ , but Turnstyle is definitely a neat feature and talk of future programming utilising our phone clocks, GPS, and ubiquitous smartphone sensors is definitely intriguing.

There’s no doubting Quibi has a lot going for it at the moment, but whether it will go on to become synonymous with the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime remains to be seen. With this unexpected launch we’ll find out soon enough though.

If you want to try the app for yourself, head here and sign up to the 90-day trial. It’s free!

Jamie Watts

Senior Writer London, UK

I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Deputy Editor and a Senior Writer at Thred. Keeping up with social media updates and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest mediocre horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

More from thred.

Credit: Unsplash

Science

Science confirms touch alleviates anxiety amid spiking levels globally

As the world grapples with a mental health crisis post-pandemic and in light of findings that record numbers of people are now suffering from anxiety, scientists have been looking for new ways to treat the condition. According to a recent study, hugs are one such solution. The world is grappling with a mental health crisis. In Europe, antidepressant consumption has more than doubled in the...

By Sofia Phillips London, UK

Creating deepfake porn is about to become illegal

Credit: Thred

News

Creating deepfake porn is about to become illegal

A new law will serve to protect the overwhelming majority of UK-based women who believe deepfake technology poses a serious threat to their safety. As the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) advance, people everywhere have raised concerns about how this technology will impact job security, education, and our everyday lives. Women, however, have become overwhelmingly concerned about how AI-generated content could impact their safety. A survey conducted by Glamour in collaboration with...

By Jessica Byrne London, UK

New study suggests that pregnancy can make you age faster

Credit: Unsplash

Science

New study suggests that pregnancy can make you age faster

According to recent research, women who have been pregnant before are more likely to exhibit signs of accelerated biological ageing compared to women who have never been pregnant. While it may feel like common knowledge that pregnancy ages you, a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has confirmed that growing a human being from scratch can make your body between two to 14...

By Sofia Phillips London, UK

Cosmologists convene to question accepted view of the universe

Credit: Thred

Science

Cosmologists convene to question accepted view of the universe

Some of the world’s top cosmologists are meeting at London’s Royal Society to scrutinise an accepted theory on the universe’s formation. The view, formed in 1922, suggests that the universe is a vast, even expanse with no notable features. We’re floating on a rock in a vast cosmic expanse, that much is a given. Exactly what that expanse looks like when zoomed out beyond the range of planets, stars, and...