At first glance, Quibi's content doesn't look that special
-
Dylan Byers of NBC News, which is an investor in Quibi, got a sneak preview of 14 of the 50 shows the shortform streaming service will roll out in two weeks. "I didn't see enough unique or innovative programming to convince me that a critical mass of people would spend $4.99 a month (or $7.99 without ads) to sign up for the service," says Byers. "I also didn't see an obvious hit, which could be crucial to Quibi's success." Byers points out that Quibi is competing with YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok -- not with other streaming services. "This programming isn't fundamentally different from what's readily available elsewhere, in my opinion," he says. "It's just shorter and broken up into smaller segments. And the five- to 10-minute format, the vertical-horizontal viewing — all of this feels like bells and whistles on content that is actually quite familiar and not necessarily better than what you might find on Netflix or Bravo."
TOPICS: Quibi
