It feels like everyone and their mother runs a streaming service now. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+, AppleTV+, CBS All Access — those are just some of the bigger names in the game. And there are a lot of upcoming services too, including NBCUniversal’s Peacock and HBO Max.
Then there is Quibi, the streaming service from Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman. Quibi has a different approach to content. They have decided that all of their programs will be bite-sized (Quibi stands for “Quick Bites”) and every episode, or chapter, will be only eight-to-ten minutes long. You won’t be getting the regular runtime on Quibi and it actually makes a lot of sense. By altering the length of their programs, Quibi is effectively removing itself as competition from Netflix, Hulu and others. It is not competition, it is a compliment. Quibi will be fine with you watching shows on various other platforms because they know that you can also catch an episode or two of their shows too. Ten minutes? Hell, who doesn’t have ten minutes? A small time commitment means more viewers. Consumers often complain that there is an overload of streaming services, too many shows and movies to catch up on. It’s overwhelming and some people feel like it’s a chore to keep up with all the entertainment at their fingertips. To that I say “Oh what a cruel fate to have too much stuff to watch, how will you ever survive such a godless chore?” But I also say that, well, I get it. There’s a lot of movies and shows out there and only so much time. A service that consists of short programs you can watch while waiting for your coffee to brew? That sounds like a breeze. Quibi is aiming to be a streaming dessert instead of a full-blown meal and who can say no to dessert?
Quibi has received nearly $1 billion in funding and is set for an April debut. And while people don’t talk about it much, it has been quietly assembling a pretty killer line-up of content. Just today it was announced that Quibi will be producing a new series called The Mapleworth Murders. The show will be an homage and parody of Murder, She Wrote and other dramatic series that revolved around small towns with huge body counts. The concept is cute and the cast is ridiculous. The show, produced by Lorne Michaels, will star Paula Pell and will feature Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, Tim Meadows, Jack McBrayer, Patton Oswalt, Terry Crews and Andy Samberg in either featured or reoccurring roles. That’s a murderers’ row of comedic talent and should have viewers beyond excited to subscribe.
But that’s not all, there is a lot more content coming from Quibi. And I mean a lot more. Katzenberg has signed the following names to either write, direct, produce or star in original programming: Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Kevin Hart, Sam Raimi, Don Cheadle, Anna Kendrick, Sophie Turner, Naomi Watts, Steven Soderbergh and many, many more. And why not? Creating a show that consists of ten-minute episodes is a hell of lot easier and less time-consuming than setting up a deal with Netflix or Amazon. And Quibi seems to want it all: horror, comedy, drama, musical, non-fiction. They are gobbling up a huge variety of shows because they need lots of content. Shorter shows means they require more of them if they want to keep subscribers hooked. So Quibi’s format is a win-win for all involved: creators get to explore whatever they want with a forgiving schedule and Quibi gets lots and lots of stuff to stream.
I think that Quibi is really onto something here. Let’s look beyond the talent involved, their approach to entertainment is very novel and painfully obvious in 2019. When I first heard of Quibi, I scoffed. I am a cinematic purist! I am not into condensing stories into little bite-sized shows. Television shows should be at least a half-hour or hour. No ifs, ands or buts. That’s how my father and his father before him enjoyed TV and, dammit, that’s how we will as well! However, think of what you watch on your phone when you’re riding the bus or taking a break at work or just lounging on the couch. How often do you pull up the latest episode of an hour-long show when you are just killing time? Not often. That is usually reserved for when you have more time or when the day is done. There are plenty of people who get lost down YouTube rabbit holes or mindlessly surf Facebook or the web when they have a few moments of peace. Quibi wants to attract those people. Instead of endlessly looking at new Baby Yoda memes, why not check out the latest episode of a new show from Steven Soderbergh? That’s a pretty tantalizing offer, isn’t it? It’s time for everyone (myself included) to admit that many people watch entertainment in very different ways now. There’s nothing wrong with that, that’s the way the world is now. It’s not time to do away with regular-sized shows and movies, it is just time to accept something different in addition to what we know and love. That’s what Quibi is doing and, based on the line-up they’re assembling, different is looking really good.