After Quibi’s official shutdown, Roku has announced that they have successfully acquired the majority of the now-defunct streamer’s content library which includes scripted series, reality shows and documentaries led by A-list stars such as Idris Elba, Anna Kendrick, Kevin Hart, Liam Hemsworth, Chrissy Teigen, Lena Waithe and more. More than 75 Quibi shows will be streaming for free sometime this year on the Roku Channel.
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“We do think this deal represents a great value,” Roku’s VP of Programming Rob Holmes said in a statement (via Variety). “Fundamentally, we think that Quibi has created great, high-quality content. It’s a great value proposition for our users… We’re pivoting from Quibi’s SVOD model to an ad-supported model, and this type of new, original content is not usually available for free.”
“The most creative and imaginative minds in Hollywood created groundbreaking content for Quibi that exceeded our expectations,” Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg said. “We are thrilled that these stories, from the surreal to the sublime, have found a new home on the Roku Channel.”
In addition, the new deal also includes over 12 new Quibi shows that will finally be able to make their debuts on the Roku Channel. Shows included are: Peter Farrelly’s new comedy series The Now; the Russo Brothers’ Marvel vs. DC comics docuseries; Steven Spielberg’s horror series titled Spielberg’s After Dark, and more.
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Quibi, which is short for “Quick Bites” had made its launched last April 6, 2020, with more than a billion dollars raised from its investors. It previously had a number of projects in development. Guillermo del Toro, Sam Raimi, Catherine Hardwick, Steven Spielberg, Paul Feig, Anna Kendrick, Laurence Fishburne, and Don Cheadle are eight of the many producers and talents who were involved in the said projects.
At its April launch, the platform had roughly 50 original titles including various reality series starring Jennifer Lopez, Chrissy Teigen and Chance the Rapper, as well as a number of major scripted programs including Sam Raimi’s 50 States of Fright, the Liam Hemsworth-starring Most Dangerous Game, Anna Kendrick-led Dummy, Kevin Hart-starring Die Hart and the revival of Comedy Central’s Reno! 911.
After six months, the mobile streamer had failed to garner enough subscription numbers to keep it alive among the competitive streaming landscape which led the Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman to officially shutdown Quibi last month.
