Quibi: a short-form streaming service to keep an eye-on

A passing reference at IBC 2019 was the first we had heard of Quibi, but it certainly looks like an interesting proposition which could add further disruption to the content world.

Imagine a cross-over between Netflix and Snapchat and you’ll have something close to Quibi. Although there isn’t a huge amount of information out there about the business from a technology perspective, it looks to be a mobile-based, short-form video subscription service designed for millennials. Content will be designed for mobile-format, and only viewable through the app.

This might sound like a bit of a fad but looking at the content it already has lined-up, the first-step towards success has been made.

Firstly, you have a yet to be named thriller starring Oscar winner Christoph Waltz alongside Liam Hemsworth, where a terminally-ill man is hunted by contestants, as he attempts to provide long-term for his wife. Secondly, you have a Stephen King horror series which can only be watched at night. Another title is “Action Scene” which stars Kevin Hart.

These are only a few of the titles which Quibi has floated through the press. Despite there not being a huge publicity push for the service, Hollywood stars seem to be convinced by the concept.

Although it was only a passing comment on-stage at IBC 2019, All3Media CEO Jane Turton and UK MD of Production for BBC Studios Lisa Opie also suggested they had both been commissioned for content on the platform. Turton also said her parent company Liberty Global was an investor in the business.

Interesting enough, the Quibi business seems to have attracted interest from some of the worlds’ most recognisable technology businesses without making a significant splash in the publicity pond. Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, WarnerMedia, and the Alibaba Group complete the list.

Once again, we are relying on third-party sources, it seems the company will be charging $5 a month, or $8 for an ad-free experience. This is where the team might struggle; convincing the audience the platform is worth spending money on. Others have already failed in the short-form content world, and Quibi will have to work hard to demonstrate value, even if it is not asking for a huge amount.

One of the failures which we have seen was over at Vivendi. Last August, the team announced it was closing Studio+, the mobile focused short content platform, after only two years in operation. Reports suggested it only managed to attract 2,500 subscribers. This might of course been a case of an idea before its time, though it is not the most encouraging of trends for Quibi.

Another interesting aspect of this business is the leadership team. Jeffrey Katzenberg, a vastly experienced executive in the firm industry with tenures at Paramount and DreamWorks, has been brought on-board to work alongside CEO Meg Whitman. If Whitman sounds like a familiar name, she was previously CEO of Hewlett Packard, leading the business through the restructuring period which created HP Inc and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

While Whitman’s tenure at HP was not exactly the most successful, her background in the technology industry married to Katzenberg’s experience in the content world dovetails quite well. It’s technology pragmatism alongside content creativity; both barrels will have to be firing if the Quibi business is going to be a success.

This is the other side of the business which the team is yet to discuss; technology. Digital natives are not very tolerable of poor service, so Quibi will have to be on-form if it is going to be a long-term success. Creating a new, disruptive service is difficult, just look at YouTube’s experience last year.

As Paolo Pescatore of PP Foresight pointed out to us, streaming the Champions League Final on YouTube was not the greatest of successes. It was an interesting move, setting the scene for potentially a new field for YouTube, but the team did not necessarily nail the experience.

“YouTube had decoding issues dealing with the huge demand from the live streaming event. There were no problems with the stream to the BT Sport app,” said Pescatore.

“Key to the success of Quibi will be distribution as it has a strong growing slate of content. It should strong consider forging tie ups with telcos who are crying out for great content to drive connections and usage on fibre broadband and 5G networks.”

We like the idea. It is a niche-concept which could potentially form a completely new kind of content delivery model. The audience is likely to be curious as well.

If the last few years have shown us anything, it’s that the millennials and generation Z are open to new ideas. And they are willing to pay for it. That said, the content will have to be there. As it stands, the depth of the content library isn’t incredibly considering it is a shorter format. To meet the high expectations of today’s consumer, this will have to bulked out considerably.

Assuming the content lives up to the blockbuster names it is attracting, the breadth and depth of content is satisfactory. the technology fulfils the experience which digital natives demand, and the marketing team is clever enough to cut through the noise in a very crowded space, there is a chance. Quibi looks to have an effective blend of experience leading the team, though the technology will have to be on-point if it is to succeed where others have failed.