Quibi Deserves Credit
With how much I’ve been following Quibi since its announcement last year, the shut down of the mobile-first streamer is disappointing, but unsurprising. I won’t delve too much into the reasons that led to this. The pandemic hurt those “on-the-go” moments. Strife between Katzenberg and Whitman grew. The content wasn’t quite there, and the Turn-style lawsuit certainly didn’t help. But, the bottom line is poor execution.
Many pieces from The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, LinkedIn, and the company’s letter to its employees, lean into the pandemic as a reason for its downfall. Obviously, they weren’t able to accurately launch in the ideal environment, but that really shouldn’t have hurt Quibi so much to the point where they had to shut down completely. In a time where content is skyrocketing and people are watching more on their phones, it’s tough to blame the pandemic as a key reason for this outcome. I think they could have pivoted much quicker to adapt (like making screenshots available much faster so shows could spread on social media), but I have a slight feeling that executives really wanted to just put this out there and try original concept.
I wrote in an earlier piece before the launch that Quibi’s main problem was its audience, which totally influenced what kind of shows they made, how they priced it, etc.. I do still think that had they targeted younger people, they would have been able to stick it out with more mobile friendly content that’s easy to consume, is even shorter, has a low emotional investment, and integrates with social media.
Protocol actually said it nicely in their latest newsletter:
“The biggest mistake… was assuming that the future of entertainment was just about watching stuff. And it’s not. It’s about screenshots and memes; remixes and duets; deepfaking yourself into your favorite scenes; watching stuff with your friends; getting to know your favorite creators.”
Granted this is saying how TikTok’s techniques work so well, but what they’re really getting at is the younger audience, and listing their consumption habits. It’s different than Quibi for sure, but the service could have adopted some of these techniques to go beyond their dismal 500,000 subscriber count.
Everyone is in a frenzy with endless articles and posts pointing about its flaws, but I would like to say how much I appreciate the leap its employees took to be a part of a mission — one that they believed in. I’ve had the chance to talk to some heads and assistants there and it’s always exciting to hear why the company stood out to them and how the risk was worth it. Unlike Silicon Valley, Hollywood is less open to startups. You don’t often hear about entertainment startups in the news nor do students really see them at campus career fairs. Silicon Valley takes bets on companies while Hollywood gambles with movies.
That’s why, to me, Quibi was so special. Beyond just introducing a new kind of service, they were starting to pave the path for entertainment to be more open to startups — and I hope it continues. Though their quick shut down doesn’t help with startup morale in Hollywood, the fact that they were able to separate themselves from the crowd, try something new, and push it through the gate is something that I hope Hollywood will take into account as more companies try their luck in challenging entertainment norms.
Failing spectacularly is far better than being boring. It’s like when some say that a bad movie review is better than no review at all. “Haters gonna hate,” but people should give the talented folks at Quibi credit for taking a stab at mobile narratives while many traditional companies shy away from anything that isn’t theatrical (and are facing the harsh reality of changing consumer habits during the pandemic that were there long before.)
The future is mobile. Quibi won’t be there for it, but I think its employees will go on to do great things like those at General Magic. It may not be the Quibi era in five years, but the “mobile storytelling-era” is creeping up with young people taking the wheel.
If anything, Quibi is learning experience: when it comes to anything, especially entertainment, know your audience.
