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Like 2020, Quibi started with many promises when it was revealed last year. The short format video streamer was launched with great enthusiasm in April 2020, positioning itself as an easy-to-consume alternative to the largest streaming services on the market. Why drag yourself through an hour-long show at Disney + or Hulu, it was thought, when you can finish an entire episode of a Liam Hemsworth thriller in ten minutes or less?
Unfortunately, the thought did not reach the general public. Just six months later, Quibi was closed. Still, the small-scale streamer (or at least the programs that were in it) may soon find a second life, thanks to a new deal that shows the Quibi content acquired by Roku.
Roku announced the acquisition of Quibi in a press release on Friday. The entire Quibi catalog will now be exclusive to the Roku Channel, starting later this year. Roku Channel is a free, ad-supported streaming service available on the company’s hardware. Quibi used to cost $ 4.99 a month with ads and $ 7.99 with an ad-free version, so Roku is offering a much better deal for basically the same content.
To watch Quibi programs on Roku, you will need a Roku streaming stick, TV or Roku sound bar, which has an integrated media streamer (see more Roku devices available online here). Unlike the Quibi app, which limited your viewing to a mobile device, the new Roku deal will allow you to watch Quibi programs on your laptop or big screen TV. You can also watch everything instantly and on demand, just by opening your Roku monitor.
This acquisition is an important step for Roku, as the company seeks to encourage people to choose their hardware instead of other options, such as Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast or Apple TV.
The Roku Channel will also become more competitive with names like Netflix and Hulu, who have been focusing heavily on original programming in recent years. New streaming services like NBC’s Peacock, HBO Max and Discovery + were also launched with exclusive programs, further increasing competition.
Roku lacks the ability to revive classic franchises like HBO and Peacock, with Fresh prince of Bel Air and Saved by the bell, but buying the Quibi catalog proves that it takes growing new ones seriously. In fact, some of Quibi’s programs actually go premiere on the Roku Channel because they weren’t ready until after the service was over.
If this change is successful, Roku can establish himself as an important player in streaming hardware and worlds of content. Roku says his channel reached homes in the United States with about 62 million people in the fourth quarter of 2020, so at the very least, Quibi’s programs will be available to many more people than before.
Quibi had many problems, including being available only on mobile devices and limiting the duration of its programs to 10 minutes or less. The idea was to make programs that you could watch on a short trip, or while waiting in line at a supermarket, but the plan didn’t work. The company also prevented him from taking screenshots while watching the programs, making it more difficult to generate enthusiasm for his content.
Despite these disadvantages, the service had 75 programs, which featured big stars like Chrissy Teigen, Nicole Richie, Anna Kendrick, Liam Hemsworth, Idris Elba, Kevin Hart and Lena Waithe. The Quibi programs, which included a reboot of Reno 911 alongside new series like Inverted mannequin and Survive won 10 Emmy nominations in short video categories last year. The shows were good, but the platform was not.