Yesterday we told you that Quibi had launched new apps for set-boxes like Apple TV and Android TV, but now it looks like Quibi users may not get to use those apps much.
Quibi is being shut down. According to The Wall Street Journal, Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg told investors today that the video streaming service is shutting itself down just 6 months after it first launched.
It's unclear exactly when Quibi might shut down or what will happen to the shows on the service when that shutdown happens. So if there's any particular Quibi content that you've been interested in, you may want to watch it soon.
Quibi launched in April 2020 as a video streaming service that was only available on your phone. Its focus was on "quick bites" of content and all of its shows were 10 minutes or less and it offered a feature called Turnstyle that would let you watch a show in either horizontal or vertical orientation, with each one offering a different view of the action.
One of the problems that Quibi has faced is that it launched right around the time of the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Many people aren't commuting or doing much travel outside their home because of the pandemic, and one of the main draws of Quibi was that it was a phone-only service with shows that you could watch while waiting for a bus or something like that.
Additionally, many people who are staying at home would prefer to watch shows on their TV instead of their smaller phone screen. Quibi did add support for AirPlay and Chromecast in the months following its launch, but it took until this week for apps to arrive on the Apple TV, Android TV, and Fire TV platforms.
Have you ever tried Quibi?
UPDATE: Quibi has confirmed that it's shutting down. Founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman posted an open letter announcing the move and had the following to say:
"As entrepreneurs our instinct is to always pivot, to leave no stone unturned — especially when there is some cash runway left — but we feel that we’ve exhausted all our options. As a result we have reluctantly come to the difficult decision to wind down the business, return cash to our shareholders, and say goodbye to our colleagues with grace. We want you to know we did not give up on this idea without a fight."
