Technolgy Rules: Quibi will launch with 50 shows on April 6

Friday, March 6, 2020

Quibi will launch with 50 shows on April 6

Short-form video service Quibi is announcing its full launch lineup today — exactly once month before launch.

True to its name (which stands for “quick bites”), Quibi will focus on short videos that you can watch on your phone. Its content will include “movies in chapters” (longer, scripted stories broken into chapters that are between seven and 10 minutes long), as well as unscripted shows, documentaries and daily hits of news/entertainment/inspiration.

The company, which is led by longtime Hollywood executive Jeffrey Katzenberg and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, says there will be 50 shows live at launch, including:

“Most Dangerous Game,” a dystopian action thriller starring Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz
“Survive,” a drama starring Sophie Turner about the aftermath of a plane crash, based on a novel by Alex Morel
“Chrissy’s Court,” in which Chrissy Teigen presides over small-claims court
“Murder House Flip,” in which homeowners try to renovate homes that are infamous for murders committed inside
“Thanks a Million,” a reality series where celebrities (including executive producer Jennifer Lopez) give $100,000 to regular people who must them pay it forward
“Last Night’s Last Night,” Entertainment Weekly’s daily recap of late-night shows
“The Replay by ESPN,” offering daily episodes covering sports news

Quibi says it will release a total of 8,500 episodes across 175 shows in its first year.

Using the company’s “Turnstyle” technology, viewers will be able to switch seamlessly between watching videos in portrait and landscape mode. In fact, some shows are designed specifically to offer different-but-complementary viewing experiences in different viewing modes.

The service will cost $4.99 per month with ads or $7.99 per month without ads. Quibi is also announcing today that it’s offering a 90-day free trial — but you’ll need to sign up on the Quibi website before the official launch on April 6.