Three Moves That Could Save Quibi

With all the streaming news on the horizon, including the eminent launches of HBO Max and Peacock (NBCUniversal), it’s easy to forget that merely a short time ago (April 6th) we saw the launch of a truly novel experiment in the streaming landscape, Quibi. Built explicitly for mobile viewing, the service boasts a number of short content series with 5-10 minute episodes (‘Quibi’ is a portmanteau for ‘quick bites’) that are uniquely optimized for phones in any orientation.

There’s a catch. While Quibi is a unique entry in the streaming wars (backed by a hefty investment of around $1.8 billion), the service has had a rather tepid launch. Despite a 90 day initial free trial, the service has been installed by only 2.9 million subscribers (according to analytics firm Sensor Tower: Quibi reports figures of around 3.5 million). Roughly 1.3 million of those users are active on the service.

In a video-interview, co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg (with Meg Whitmore) has placed the thus-far poor performance of the service squarely at the feet of the virus:

“I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus. Everything. But we own it.”

The service had been designed for the on-the-go kind of mobile viewership that one can fit in (for example) on the subway, on a work break, or in a long line. It launched initially without the ability to connect to a TV (that has recently changed). The difficulty is that, with everyone largely staying at home the last month or so, mobile viewership largely isn’t necessary, few are on-the-go, and most have access to traditional content (and a lot more free time to watch it). Katzenberg acknowledges these difficulties:

“My hope, my belief was that there would still be many in-between moments while sheltering in place. There are still those moments, but it’s not the same. It’s out of sync.”

How can Quibi’s fortunes be turned around, with the end of coronavirus disruptions no where in sight?

Capability Expansion

Quibi is already making changes that should increase Quibi’s general viability. Currently planned changes include TV integration and the ability of users to share content on social media. Walling Quibi off from TV, internet, and social media was an inexplicibly archaic approach for a service that intended to reflect the unique attributes of modern media consumption, but the service is in the process of adapting. This should help.

At the same time, while the service should continue with its development of novel short-form series, it may do well to expand its repertoire to other forms of popular short form content. This would fit the brand’s on-the-go, mobile-friendly ambitions while creating brand new opportunities that further set it apart.

Short Films

Quibi should additionally focus on becoming the number one home for top-tier short films, a niche that many major services neglect but that fit the bill for Quibi’s short form focus. Currently, while one can find some short films scattered on Vimeo and Youtube or see really high quality short films on the Criterion Channel or Kanopy, there are few services that focus the majority of their efforts on securing short films.

Short films kill on the festival circuit. Horror short films are very popular, but opportunities to find them outside festivals are few and far between relative to major streaming services.

They can qualify for Oscars, signal up-and-coming filmmakers, and give a blank creative check to the biggest names in film. They’re digestible and sometimes amazing cinematic nuggets and Quibi is the perfect service to champion short-form films and filmmakers. The service can further raise the profile by partnering with pivotal directors and actors and sponsoring short film festivals and awards. And there are innumerable top-tier short films without a huge public profile that Quibi can champion and bring to the larger public.

Other Short Form Content

While YouTube dominant in other arenas of short form content, from educational lessons to music videos to older content, this is an arena where Quibi can further distinguish itself. The service can focus on gaining exclusive music video premieres, musical performances, and other short form live performances in other fields—comedians and magicians come to mind.

Educational content may also be a viable focus of an expanded Quibi. Short unit lessons on a variety of topics from world renowned experts (think short, time-efficient Masterclasses) could excel on the service. One recipe at a time cooking lessons. Ted-like talks. Documentary episodes. And in conjunction, educational partnerships.

While Quibi’s misfortunes are indeed regrettable to their investors, a few tweaks in focus could lock down Quibi as the go-to service for all short-form content, short films in particular. Would it be enough? It’s hard to say, but one thing’s for sure: they have little to lose by trying.