Quibi is new, and the timing couldn’t be better. They amassed over $1.8bn for this mobile app project, and the focus of this app is “short-video” as a medium, with a limit of 10 minutes of duration. They feature high-quality production shows on top of that, but it’s not free.
Looking from the COVID-19 outbreak angle, there are some concerns that it can impact their viewership once things hopefully settle down again soon. On one hand, it can go either way but the first social media reviews were mixed. Users so far praised their shows. On the other hand, they criticized their app for missing some features that they have in apps of the competitors.
Pricing model
It is out for the US and Canada. The app costs $4.99 a month with adverts and $7.99 if you like your experience ad-free, but they are giving 90-day free trials in the US. They announced expansions to other countries too. We can see that on Monday, the ad-free version was available in the UK.
There is a lot of people that like this type of short video. They don’t have time or just don’t like “wasting” 30, 60, or even more minutes per episode. So Quibi did a good job making good 10 minutes long videos that don’t feel cut out or without good material.
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For some people looking at their content on just a mobile phone is a big turn off point. Quibi executives still think this is a good idea, even though from the launch, the audience was not so pleased about it. Some people just like watching their content on TV or monitors of their PC’s.
Is there a market for this?
They hope to attract even more people because they have their own “homegrown” shows. They have around 50 titles with approximately three-episode for each one and will continue to bring us about 25 episodes each week. The plan so far is to release 175 original shows in various formats in their first year.
Even though the adverse reactions and comments are coming from some of the lacking features from their app. Their shows so far have been top-notched, and I recommend trying out this app. The first 90-day is free, so you might want to give it a try if you’re in for short-video.
YouTube: Quibi Coming To A Phone Near You April 6
Photo credit: The feature image is owned by Quibi and was provided as part of a press kit.
