Quibi's Having a Rough Go

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From the Wall Street Journal:

Quibi entered the market with big financial commitments from advertisers, enviable access to cash and two brand-name corporate leaders from the worlds of movies and technology. Its promise of a new storytelling format and Quibi’s deep pockets proved irresistible for many stars. The vision was to create short programs, 10 minutes or less, that people could watch on the go.

Quibi literally could not have launched at a worse time. It’s entire reason for being is to be consumed in the in-between moments while people are on the go. Except, for much of the last three months, no one has been going anywhere.

Quibi at CES / © Jason Aten

Quibi at CES / © Jason Aten

There’s also the reality that the content on Quibi isn’t very good. It just isn’t.

You can blame the first problem on the pandemic. The content problem, however, is squarely on the quixotic streaming company that never quite convinced the world that it needed 10-minutes-or-less “quick bites,” as the name stands for.

That isn’t to say it didn’t have a fighting chance. The company raised over $1.75 billion in funding. It planned to spend more than $300 million of that on content. But you can’t buy your way out of a bad idea.

At its current pace, Quibi will sign up fewer than two million paying subscribers by the end of the app’s first year, a person familiar with its operations said, well under its original target of 7.4 million. Quibi’s app download numbers have been falling in recent weeks, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower. Daily downloads peaked at 379,000 on its April 6 launch day but didn’t exceed 20,000 on any day in the first week of June, according to Sensor Tower.

Look, there are really smart people behind Quibi, on both the content and technology sides. Meg Whitman, the CEO, is about as experienced as you can be at running tech companies. There are few people with more content credibility than Jeffrey Katzenberg. When I met with the heads of the content and technology at CES in January, I was impressed by their demo.

The problem is, no one is impressed with the content, and no one is sitting on the subway or standing in line at Starbucks for 10 minutes right now.

A Complete Guide to Streaming Video Services from Apple TV+ to Netflix to Disney+

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In November, Apple launched its streaming service, Apple TV+, with Disney+ following just a few weeks later. While these two were by far the most highly-anticipated entrants in the streaming wars, they aren't the only new services vying for your attention and subscription dollars.

As the streaming wars heat up, you're probably wondering what all the hype is about and what it means to you.  We broke down everything that's coming this fall (and beyond) to give you the complete guide to the streaming services.

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is the first of the major upcoming streaming services to launch, though it's also the most limited in terms of content. Apple is making a huge push to build a subscriber base, and has an ambitious plan to do that by giving every Mac or iPhone customer a year for free.

  • Launch date: November 1

  • Price: 7-day free trial, then $4.99 a month. Apple is giving a year free with a purchase of a new device starting back on September 10.

  • Content: Mostly originals, launching with eight titles including The Morning Show, SEE, Dickinson, and For All Mankind. New content each month.

Disney+

Disney has a huge advantage when it comes to content, in fact, it probably has the most valuable content library of any company. As a result, Disney shouldn't have any trouble signing up an audience, especially since it copied Apple's strategy and is giving Verizon customers a free year. 

  • Launch date: November 12

  • Price: $6.99 per month or bundle with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 per month. Verizon is also offering Unlimited plan members a 12-month free Disney+ subscription for free.

  • Content: Disney's entire classic film and animated feature library, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars, as well as new exclusive content that includes ten films and 25 original shows

HBO Max

HBO is going big with HBO Max, both with existing and future content. Not only did the company take back Friends and The West Wing from Netflix, but it recently signed a $200 million deal with JJ Abrams to produce content for the service. And last night, we finally got more information about just what to expect and when.

  • Launch date: May 2020

  • Price: $14.99 per month. Free for existing HBO customers, and certain AT&T bundles. 

  • Content: AT&T says will launch with 10,000 hours of content. That including all episodes of Game of Thrones, Westworld and Silicon Valley. along with WarnerMedia classic content like Friends and The West Wing.

NBC Universal 

NBC/Universal has officially named its upcoming streaming service "Peacock," a nod to its colorful logo. One difference is that this service is expected to be heavily ad-supported, on top of charging a monthly fee for non-Comcast customers.

  • Launch date: Spring 2020 

  • Price: $12 per month (expected), or free for Comcast cable customers

  • Content: NBC hits like  The Office, Parks & Rec, and Everybody Loves Raymond, along with Universal blockbusters such as the Jurassic World series and Fast and Furious catalog

ESPN+

In what will be the third streaming service from Disney, ESPN+ is meant to complement your existing ESPN watching, with in-depth game analysis and highlights. It will broadcast games from the major sports leagues and feature original programming.

  • Launch date: Already available

  • Price: $5 per month or $50 annually

  • Content: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, as well as college football, international soccer, and tennis

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon's streaming video service isn't nearly as talked about as its rivals, but that doesn't mean it doesn't include a formidable library of licensed and original content. The latter includes some top-notch shows like Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Homecoming, and The Man in the High Castle. Still, it's one of the more confusing options considering the mix of included content as well as films available for rent (on top of the membership fee). 

  • Launch date: 2006

  • Price: Included in an Amazon Prime Membership for $119 per year

  • Content: Both original and licensed content, including The Shawshank Redemption and The Silence of the Lambs

Netflix

For comparison's sake, it's only fair to include Netflix, though it's obviously not new. Still, with 150 million subscribers, it's currently the king of streaming video. In fact, each of the other options on this list is aiming squarely at Netflix's user base by bringing home their content to encourage viewers to sign up. Netflix isn't giving up, signing big-name talent of it's own. 

  • Launch date: 2007

  • Price: $12.99 for the HD plan, which allows viewing on 2 screens

  • Extensive library of licensed content, as well as original hits like Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, The Crown, and Mindhunter

Hulu

Netflix's first competitor was originally a partnership between Fox, ABC, and NBC. Overtime, that has changed, with Disney (ABC's owner) now operating the service. Hulu is also unique, in that it's the only option on this list that, in addition to your standard streaming option, also include a Live TV option that makes it a real replacement for cable.  

  • Launch date: 2008

  • Price: $5.99 or $11.99 with no ads. $44.99 for the Live TV version

  • Content: Original content, the best known of which is The Handmaids Tale alongside licensed content.

This post was first published in my column at Inc.com