The containment will not prevent Quibi from trying to revolutionize the entertainment industry by launching its “nomadic” streaming service on Monday, with short programs specifically designed for mobile phones but “in Hollywood quality”.
Attracted by this innovative project and the billions of dollars promised by Quibi, the stars of the big and small screen jostled to produce films and series, from Steven Spielberg to Guillermo del Toro via Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon.
Nomadic “bites”
All of Quibi's content will be broadcast in increments of ten minutes maximum, "quick bites" (abbreviated to Quibi). In the same spirit, all the programs are produced in both vertical and horizontal format, automatically switching from one to the other when the spectator tilts his phone.
A technology and a concept perfectly calibrated for a “nomadic” use on mobile, which can certainly seem unsuited to the current confinement. Quibi, who had long anticipated the launch of its service on April 6, made the bet to maintain its plans without being sure of what the future holds.
"Honestly, we do not know, because the launch comes at a time without equivalent," said AFP director of Quibi, Meg Whitman. "I don't think anyone has ever experienced anything like this," said the former boss of eBay.
A supplied and enticing catalog
The idea is to seduce young active people likely to consume a bite or two of ten minutes on public transport or during their coffee break. The coronavirus pandemic has put an end to these daily habits, but Quibi leaders believe that containment can also create such a need. "People still have moments of transition, it's just different," says Meg Whitman, citing an example of a parent looking to ease the tension between two home education sessions for their children. “I spend my life on Zoom [videoconferencing platform]. But if I have ten or fifteen minutes between two calls here and there, I will watch Quibi, ”she says.
Our High-tech file
Quibi has for its advantage a supplied and enticing catalog: 50 programs available from the first day, 175 original creations guaranteed for its first year, underlines its patron. If Hollywood stars have responded, it is mainly thanks to the presence of Jeffrey Katzenberg, former Disney boss (1984-1994) and co-creator of Dreamworks studios, the origin of Quibi.
Films like the psychological thriller Survive , starring Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner, and Most Dangerous Game with Liam Hemsworth are expected to serve as premium products for first subscribers. A few episodes will be available at the launch of Quibi but the rest will be distilled at the rate of one every day, the idea being to keep the spectators in suspense as in the good old days of terrestrial television. Other programs are already planned until the fall, but the rest is uncertain, Hollywood has been stopped since the start of the pandemic.
Subscriptions between 5 and 8 dollars
To retain subscribers, Quibi also relies on daily news, sports and entertainment programs, a type of content that is difficult to produce as long as the studios remain closed. The subscription to Quibi will cost 5 dollars per month with advertising or 8 dollars without. To take into account the financial difficulties created by the health crisis, the platform increased its trial offer from two weeks to 90 days.
To encourage young people to abandon YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, with free but generally amateur programs, Quibi relies on the quality of its content, as HBO did in its time to compete with traditional channels. "We pay up to $ 100,000 a minute for our feature films," says Meg Whitman, a budget comparable to that of major productions from Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max or Disney +. But Quibi doesn't consider them rivals, he has the ambition to become "the new wave of entertainment", she says.
“There were films, there was television, then streaming. And now maybe there is a new way to tell mobile stories with Hollywood quality, ”she concludes.
Culture
What is Quibi, the streaming service that wants to boost storytelling on smartphones?
Series
Spielberg is preparing a horror series that can only be seen at night
- Containment
- Smartphone
- United States
- Streaming