LOS ANGELES—Quibi has officially entered the streaming wars with its launch on Monday, April 6, in the U.S. and Canada.
Quibi, which was founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, is an entertainment platform designed specifically for the phone. It features original content that are all 10 minutes or less, with more than 25 new episodes of content released every weekday, or seven days a week for news, sports and weather content, per Quibi.
The new platform touts its lineup of original programming featuring major Hollywood talent. Among the content available at launch is “Survive” starring “Game of Thrones” alum Sophie Turner; “Most Dangerous Game” with Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz; “Punk’d” with Chance the Rapper; “Thanks a Million” from Jennifer Lopez; “Chrissy’s Court” starring Chrissy Teigen; as well as other programs like “Murder House Flip,” “Around the World by BBC News” and “The Replay by ESPN.”
Quibi plans to release 175 original shows and 8,500 “quick bites” of content in its first year. It still has some big names to come, including Steve Spielberg, Will Smith, Bill Murray, Anna Kendrick, Laura Dern and more.
On the tech side of Quibi’s offering is what it calls Turnstyle technology. The patented technology allows viewers to move seamlessly between full-screen portrait and full-screen landscape without any delay.
TV Technology sister publication B&C sat down with Katzenberg ahead of Quibi’s launch to discuss the new platform.
Quibi, which can be downloaded either through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, will be available for a 90-day free trial if you sign up before the end of April. After the free trial, Quibi costs $4.99 with ads and $7.99 without ads.
Quibi joins an ever increasing content landscape with stalwarts like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, new entrants like Disney+—which has had quick success—and Apple TV+, and other upcoming platforms like NBCUniversal’s Peacock and HBO Max.
