Emailed on July 10, 2020 in The Friday Forward

Quibi, the bite-size video platform providing short-form streaming content, is no stranger to criticism. After raising $1.75 bn prior to launch, the first 90 days have not seemed to go according to plan.

Officially launching in April, the platform has converted less than 10 percent of it's first wave of users, according to mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower. While not a terrible metric for the new company when compared to rivals Disney (who converted 11 percent of their initial users), the difference in user base is massive. Initial signups totaled 910,000 users compared to Disney's 9.5 million in the first months of launch. Disney now has over 50 million paid subscribers.

So what is going on with Quibi? The platform is optimized for use on mobile devices and initially touted as a way for a younger, mobile-centric work force to digest content in short "chapters" vs 30-60 minute episodes.

It could be possible that the intended user base is working remote during these COVID-19 times and simply not digesting content on their mobile devices. There is also a potential issue with the quality of the content on Quibi compared to Netflix, Disney, and HBO Max. At some point consumers must pick and choose their services.

Who knows what is next for Quibi, maybe worth a trial to see what it is all about?