Despite the circumstances, the world is going through due to the spread of the Coronavirus, but on Monday launched a new video broadca...
Despite the circumstances, the world is going through due to the spread of the Coronavirus, but on Monday launched a new video broadcast platform named (Quibi) which is an abbreviation of the term Quick Bites, as it provides short videos, and aims to provide content to smartphone users only.
But despite the long and impressive list of offers that include the most prominent international actors and filmmakers, and raising financing of up to $ 1.7 billion, what does this new platform offer to be able to compete with major digital broadcasting companies such as: Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Disney?
Today we're going to show you everything you need to know about the new Quibi streaming platform:
What is different in Quibi?
Quibi is the first broadcast service designed exclusively for smartphones and tablets, offering very very short content that you can easily watch in one session, and designed to perfectly fit any moment of your day, as the service website tells us.
Not only is the Quibi app not available for smart TVs or broadcasters such as: Roku, but the platform is designed to make it impossible to use Chromecast or any similar tool to display its content on TV screens.
Quibi was founded by two of Hollywood's most prominent entrepreneurs: (Jeffrey Katzenberg) who was president of Disney's group during the animation boom of the 1990s, and (Meg Whitman), who was former CEO of Disney, and also served as president and CEO On eBay, HP (Hewlett-Packard).
Quibi offers a mixture of original and re-shot shows and movies, in the form of a series of short chapters of 10 minutes or less, targeting the millennials aged 18 to 44, who do not have enough time to watch the long shows, and therefore can watch these short shows Throughout the day on their phone while on the move, or during breaks from work.
Although the idea might seem strange at first, Quibi has so far raised up to $ 1.7 billion in funding from investors and Hollywood studios for the project, which aims to compete with Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok.
The platform has attracted big names in Hollywood, from Jason Bloom, Stephen Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Teejin, and even LeBron James to the American basketball player.
What kind of content does Quibi provide:
The company has identified its production groups in 3 categories of original content:
- Movies and series divided into short chapters of 7-10 minutes.
- Improvisational shows such as reality TV shows, which may be the most promising category due to the large number of fans of these shows from the millennial generation.
- 5 to 6-minute news updates, for which Quibi has contracted with a number of major media outlets such as: BBC, NBC News, Weather Channel, Telemundo, and ESPN.
Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg has made it clear that the company has not designed a version of the service for larger screens, because no one has yet created premium content for phones only, so they want to do something new that no other competitor has done.
How much does it cost to subscribe to the service?
The app offers two subscription plans; the first is $ 4.99 with short ads, and the second is $ 7.99 without ads altogether. The company also offers a 90-day free trial, which is much longer than competitors such as: Netflix and Amazon Prime (30 days only) or Apple TV + or Disney + (for 7 days only), and that makes Quibi a great competitor, both in terms of Price or free trial period.The most important new features that Quibi platform depends on:
Quibi is targeted only to smartphone users, so it relies on some features that facilitate the viewing experience such as (Turnstile), which allows the video to remain in full-screen mode, both in portrait and landscape mode, and allows switching between the two modes very smoothly, and without any time lags, As some shows encourage viewers to change the position of the device in the middle of the show to see a different angle for the scene.
Quibi received various reviews during the first day, and while some shows such as: (Punk'd) and (Survive) won high praise from the audience, many complained that viewing on mobile phones - the main feature of the app - did not allow them Share what they see with colleagues or family members.
There was also a surprise at the first launch of the service, as some complained of an hour-long break in service.
The main challenges facing the service:
The most prominent obstacle that Quibi currently faces is the ability to persuade the public to pay for a new broadcast service that is limited to mobile phones only, which is a source of concern to investors, especially as the market is saturated with strong competition services.
However, the platform’s reliance on short broadcasts made it move away from the competition with platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus and Apple Plus, but it entered into a competition with YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.
