Quibi has officially launched today, and it is focusing on a niche that no other streaming service has really focused on yet. And that is short-form video content.
We’re talking about videos that are 10 minutes or less. Allowing you to watch a quick show, without taking 30 minutes to an hour for each episode. It sounds a bit weird, but Quibi has gotten a number of big time celebrities to do content for its streaming service.
Quibi is a weird streaming service because it doesn’t work on any TVs
When you see a new streaming TV service, the first thing you think of is “can this app work on my TV?” Well when it comes to Quibi, the answer is no.
Quibi only works on mobile devices, that run on Android and iOS. There’s no support for any TV platforms, and there likely won’t be. Quibi was built for you to watch content on the go. Hence the reason why the shows are much shorter than on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or something different.
Now, this doesn’t mean that your TV will never get support for Quibi, the company has said that if customers want it. Then they will look at bringing support for different TV platforms. But as for right now, there’s no plans for that to happen. Quibi’s CEO, Meg Whitman, has indicated that Quibi won’t be stubborn, and will follow what its customers want.
How much does Quibi cost?
Quibi is starting out by offering everyone a 90 day free trial. That’s a really good way to get users into the platform and checking it out. And much better than the seven days that Netflix, HBO GO, and others offer.
After the 90 days, it’ll be $4.99 for the ad-supported tier and $9.99 for the ad-free tier, per month. That’s not too bad, especially if Quibi does have a ton of great shows that you actually want to watch.
If you are a T-Mobile customer, and have two or more lines on its Magenta plan, then you will get the ad-supported tier of Quibi for free. This is in addition to getting the Netflix On Us promotion from T-Mobile. And if you do have the Magenta plan with at least two lines, then this is a good way to get even more content to watch.
Quibi is actually launching at a good time, as users are looking for more and more content to watch, since the majority of people are at home, for the foreseeable future.