Quibi unveils 50-strong launch slate and promotional offer

Jeffrey Katzenberg’s premium short-form platform Quibi has revealed details of its launch slate and launched a promotional offer to entice users ahead of its debut next month.

The Katzenberg and Meg Whitman-led service will give users a 90-day trial on the condition that they sign up ahead of the 6 April launch.

After the trial, Quibi will cost $4.99 per month without ads or $7.99 per month with ads. While less than Netflix, the ad-free tier will cost more than both Apple TV+ and Disney+

Initial public offering

The service, which promises to create high-quality content under 10 minutes in length, will kick off its offer with 50 launch titles. These range from four ‘movies in chapters’ (full length movies split into chunks between four and 10 minutes), unscripted shows such as the reboot of MTV’s Punk’d, and scripted shows, including the Liam Hemsworth-Christoph Waltz starring Most Dangerous Game.

Quibi said that it will release new videos every day, while companies on both sides of the Atlantic producing content for the new service.

Dating format The Hot Drop is in the works with ITV Studios Entertainment (ITVSE), while natural history show Fierce Queens (working title) is being produced by BBC Studio’s Natural History Unit.

The company has also signed a content deal with Canadian telco Bell. Bell Media’s CTV News will produce a daily news programme covering “breaking news and the biggest stories of the day”, which will stream on Quibi mornings and evenings on weekdays, and mornings on weekends.

TSN, Canada’s leading sports network, will produce a daily sports information update, which will be available every morning.

Details of the launch come after Quibi revealed it has raised an additional $750m in its latest funding round, taking its total funding to $1.75bn ahead of launch.

The US streaming space is becoming increasingly crowded, with Quibi, HBO Max and NBCU’s Peacock all set to launch in the coming months.