The landscape of mobile video streaming will gain a new competitor with the launch of the Quibi streaming service on April 6. Quibi, the brainchild of CEO Meg Whitman and Board Chairman Jeffrey Katzenburg, is aiming to revolutionize handheld streaming with content and features you won’t find on any other streaming platform.
What is Quibi?
Rather than existing movies and TV shows, Quibi — short for “quick bites” — will launch with 50 original shows across a variety of genres. These aren’t traditional television shows. Instead, they consist of 10-minute episodes, the better to fit into users’ hectic daily schedules.
The biggest difference, however, is how users watch these shows. Quibi’s shows are designed to be watched exclusively on phones. On top of that, users can watch shows in either portrait or landscape mode. According to TV Guide, users will be able to view different details and perspectives depending on how they watch.
“Watching on your phone has actually become a very personal, intimate, connective moment,” Katzenburg said, according to CNN. “You put your earbuds in and you have a connection with that content that is actually amazing.”
What to Watch on Quibi
Quibi’s original offerings are split up into three categories: “movies in chapters,” “unscripted and docs,” and “daily essentials.” Per TV Guide “movies in chapters” will be long-form stories told in daily 10-minute episodes. These stories will cover a number of different genres: for example, fans of thrillers might want to check out the platform’s update of the classic TV show The Fugitive, starring Liam Hemsworth and Kiefer Sutherland.
For more of a suspenseful mystery, there’s When the Streetlights Go On, starring Queen Latifah in a tale of small-town crime. Quibi has comedy covered as well, with the wacky home-renovation farce Flipped, starring Will Forte and Kaitlin Olson.
Meanwhile, “unscripted and docs” will consist of reality-style programming for all members of the family. From resurrected reality favorites like Punk’d – now hosted by Chance the Rapper – to new originals like Chrissy’s Court, where Chrissy Teigen will preside over small claims disputes, Judge Judy-style, Quibi is arriving with a host of non-fiction entertainment options.
Finally, “daily essentials” will provide daily news and entertainment updates from sources like Entertainment Weekly, Mission Control Media, ESPN, and many more. Whether its world news, pop culture, music, or sports, Quibi’s daily essentials aim to keep you up to date.
Quibi is set to launch on April 6 with 50 original shows. Subscriptions will cost $4.99 a month with ads, or $7.99 a month ad-free.