Almost surprisingly, perhaps due to the low-sounding scope of the name, a new streaming service has recently appeared in the already large world galaxy of platforms: it is called Quibi and starts from a basic philosophy very different from that of almost all its competitors. The platform has been specifically designed for smartphones, it will only be accessible on the move and will offer a series of "hit and run" content with episodes lasting no more than ten minutes and series specifically designed to adapt to the size of our smartphone screens, whether they are placed horizontally or vertically.
The not quite affordable cost of 8.99 euros is balanced by 90 day free trial, the originality of the format and some contents that should not be underestimated for the names involved and the production effort. Will Quibi be able to find a position in an increasingly rich and selective online entertainment?
Hit and run
The rule of Quibi's content is clear: the episodes of the available TV series never exceed ten minutes and cannot be seen on any other device except a smartphone. Fast content, designed not to bore and provide lightning entertainment, with a low threshold of attention and directed at all, especially the youngest ones or those who do not have the time to follow episodes with a longer duration. An entertainment designed for those on the move, perhaps for commuters or travelers, for lunch or coffee breaks, very different from the "sofa" philosophy and home entertainment that has always been the basis of all other platforms, from Netflix on.
Hence the choice of a format that can be used with our mobile phones, whether they are positioned horizontally or vertically. All the contents have been conceived, filmed and produced in such a way that they are equally appreciable in both ways, without missing out on what the authors thought. The investment made is beyond 1 billion dollars and, given the nature of the product, only series and content designed specifically for the platform itself are and will be available inside.
The contents
At launch, approximately 30 tv series, with the release of new episodes every week. In his first year of life, Quibi should reach a total of 175 original productions with 8,500 micropoints in total: a good dose of entertainment for everyone. The contents are among the most varied, from a series on an airplane crash with Sophie Turner, Survive, passing through a docuserie on Sasha Velor's drag queen shows, up to the remake of the famous MTV candid cameras, Punk'd.
Even the films, or presumed such, are divided into chapters, with names of a certain weight such as Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz, protagonists of Most Dangerous Man. Specific programs for the platform are also studied in-depth programs created with real giants of the press and the web such as BBC, CBS, ESPN, Entertaiment Weekly and Rotten Tomatoes. Quality and promises of expansion that will not fail to flesh out a new entertainment concept, undoubtedly original and also very courageous.
Questionable choices
The launch was quite aggressive, with the possibility of subscribing to a trial period of 90 days, after which you can subscribe for a monthly subscription of 8.99 euros. The platform was also launched in Italy but unfortunately, an incomprehensible and wicked choice, with interface only in English and contents and subtitles all in the same language, with some Spanish subtitle inserts only for certain content.
In Italy, moreover, the possibility of subscribing to the "smart" subscription for € 4.99 with two-minute advertisements every 60 minutes of viewing is not currently available. A choice that raises a very high wall of use for many Italian spectators, both those who do not know English well, and those who do not like to see the series in the original language.
It can be understood that dubbing for such a fresh platform was a mirage, but at least an effort to localize and subtitle the most important contents would have been welcome. At most, one could think of launching the service after work was completed, at a later time. So hardly an Italian user could decide to subscribe, already creating diffusion difficulties from the launch that could further distance a possible Italian localization of interface and content.
A good idea
Without wanting to express ourselves on the quality of the contents, which the US media still describe as fluctuating, between high-quality products and others that are not convincing, what strikes is above all the idea behind Quibi, an idea that tries to keep up with the times and which clearly differs from all the platforms currently on the market. An idea that somehow thematizes and enlarges a concept that has been pursued for some time by Snapchat or IGTV, containers of fast entertainment that has a lot of following among young people and which, among other things, in addition to the productions of influencers and creators of content has already seen the birth of some original productions.
Quibi seems to be aimed primarily at young people and for those who want a moment of leisure without having to concentrate for too long, for those who manage to carve out a few minutes and need fast but quality entertainment, with good production value and contents that are designed specifically for this format . In this sense, Quibi wants to try to carve out an important place in this niche, giving a slice of users something that does not yet fully exist: quality content and series to be scrolled in rapid succession like short Instagram live stories.
Young audience
Even the interface itself of the app suggests a product conceived and created for young people, with the homepage much more similar to that of a social network than the interface to which we have become accustomed to services such as Netflix or Disney +. For this reason the creators have repeatedly specified how much their direct competitors are streaming platforms and we can only agree. It must be said that this disposable vision culture is well suited to the times we are living in and to the way in which many young people approach the vision or use of content.
Bombarded by always different stimuli and with a threshold of attention never too high on the long duration, many have become accustomed to navigating quickly between one content and another, between one video and another, between a story on Instagram and the 'else. Thinking of a platform based precisely on this does not seem to us such a wrong idea, even more so if you try to produce relevant content, not dominated by chance but with a production line and a much higher quality, perhaps designed to accommodate different genres and to convey different flavors.
Basic contradictions
On the other hand, there are many doubts about the tightness that a concept like this passes in the long run, even more so if in order to use it you need a monthly subscription, a concept that, at 8.99 euros per month, it distances itself a lot from the needs of the younger audience. A contradiction of terms that may not help Quibi's diffusion to its target audience too much, to get closer to those who need lightning entertainment in the rare moments of pause of his day, such as commuters and workers.
Short viewing periods that on paper adapt to all those who spend most of their time in front of their smartphones and do not have too many opportunities to turn on the TV and take advantage of "slower and more reasoned" consumer services, theoretically offering numerous viewing moments and in any free moment that in the end, however, they collide with the high price of the subscription and the hitherto little content.
What will happen?
The long free trial will however give you an opportunity to understand the scope of this service and its real growth margins. Unfortunately, it hurts us to say, the lack of a version in our language will be an almost insurmountable handicap for its even minimal diffusion among Italian users and also the period we are experiencing globally, with many people forced home, does not favor certainly the use of an app designed specifically for mobile use.
In any case, one cannot fail to praise the courage of the developers, as well as the originality of an entertainment proposal that has perfectly fallen into the times we are experiencing and which for the first time tries to bring the concept of quality closer to a disposable use that has almost never been able to offer content worthy of being defined as such and with productive efforts and image like these.
Only time will be able to tell us if all this will catalyze the attention of the public or if it will turn into yet another passing phenomenon, arrived and consumed as quickly as the contents it offers inside. It would be a rather cruel joke of fate.
