Quibi

What Quibi does

Quibi was a subscription-based mobile streaming service that launched in April 2020 and shut down within approximately six months. The platform delivered premium short-form episodic content, with video produced in both vertical and horizontal formats so viewers could rotate their phones for an optimized mobile experience. Its distribution was exclusively direct-to-consumer via a mobile application on iOS and Android, with no web-based playback at launch — a deliberate design choice tied to its positioning for on-the-go viewing during commutes and brief intervals.

The business model was a recurring consumer subscription targeting a horizontal segment of mobile-first viewers seeking premium short-form entertainment. Quibi did not disclose pricing publicly in available sources, but operated on a paid subscription basis competing for the same wallet share as Netflix, Hulu, and free ad-supported alternatives. The company's underlying technology was a mobile-native streaming stack optimized for short-bite playback rather than long-form libraries, and it differentiated through production value and exclusive content rather than algorithmic personalization.

Quibi was co-founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg (former Disney) and Meg Whitman (former HP), and raised $1.75B in cumulative venture funding across a 2018 round led by Madrone Capital Partners with broad studio participation (Disney, Fox, Alibaba, MGM, Paramount, Sony, WarnerMedia, Warner Bros.) and a $750M 2020 round from Alibaba, Pegasus Tech Ventures, and WndrCo. Despite this scale of capital and pedigree, the platform failed to achieve sufficient subscriber traction and ceased operations in 2020, becoming one of the most-cited startup failures in streaming. The quibi.com domain currently serves as a placeholder page, with no active product offerings.

Name

Quibi

Website

https://quibi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Quibi was a subscription-based mobile streaming service that launched in April 2020 offering premium short-form episodic content optimized for smartphone viewing, targeting on-the-go consumers before ceasing operations within six months.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Video Streaming

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Generalist Short-Form Video Social Platforms (MPACAHAA)

Keywords

• Short-form streaming
• Mobile video platform
• Subscription video
• Mobile entertainment
• Premium video content

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Streaming: Quibi employed a subscription-based revenue model offering premium short-form content to consumers on a recurring basis. The service charged users for access to its library of quick-bite episodic programming. The platform failed commercially after six months of operation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Quibi was a mobile-first subscription streaming platform delivering premium short-form episodic video content (under 10 minutes per episode) optimized for smartphone viewing. Content was shot in both vertical and horizontal formats, enabling viewers to rotate their phones for an optimized viewing experience. The service targeted on-the-go consumers seeking high-production-value entertainment consumable in brief intervals such as commutes and breaks.

Product overview

Quibi was a premium short-form mobile streaming platform that launched in April 2020 and ceased operations after approximately six months. The service offered vertical mobile-first video content with a subscription model. The company raised $1.75 billion in funding before its failure. The current quibi.com website serves as a placeholder with no active product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quibi Mobile Streaming Service A subscription-based mobile streaming platform delivering premium short-form episodic video content (under 10 minutes per episode) optimized for smartphone viewing with seamless vertical-to-horizontal format switching. Targeted at on-the-go consumers seeking high-production-value entertainment consumable in brief intervals.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Shawna ThomasminorOthersShawna Thomas, former executive producer of CBS Mornings, previously worked at Quibi before joining MS NOW as Political Director. Thomas brought nearly two decades of broadcast and digital journalism experience to her roles.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Broad incumbents

• YouTube: YouTube is the dominant video platform across long-form and short-form (via YouTube Shorts), monetized through ads and YouTube Premium. YouTube competes with Quibi for both mobile short-form attention and paid streaming subscription budgets.
• Netflix: Netflix is the dominant global subscription streamer with broad premium content across long-form series, films, and increasingly mobile-friendly and short-form programming. It competes with Quibi for streaming subscription dollars and consumer attention, though Netflix's multi-platform reach dwarfs Quibi's mobile-only scope.
• Amazon Prime Video: Prime Video is Amazon's bundled subscription streamer with broad premium content. It competes with Quibi for streaming subscription dollars, leveraging Prime's existing distribution and pricing power to undercut standalone services like Quibi.
• Peacock: Peacock is NBCUniversal's subscription streamer with deep premium content including NBC shows, films, and sports. Peacock competes with Quibi for streaming subscription dollars in an increasingly saturated market and has invested heavily in mobile viewing experiences.
• Disney+: Disney+ is a premium subscription streamer backed by Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic IP. Disney was also a Quibi investor and content partner, making Disney+ the most direct premium-content competitor in the same studios' portfolio.
• Hulu: Hulu is a major subscription streamer offering TV, movies, and originals with strong mobile app distribution. Hulu competes with Quibi for paid streaming subscription dollars among cord-cutters and mobile-leaning viewers.
• HBO Max (Max): HBO Max (now Max) is WarnerMedia's premium subscription streamer. Warner Bros. was a Quibi investor and content partner, making Max a particularly relevant premium-content incumbent competing for the same subscriber wallet.

Direct peers

• TikTok: TikTok is the leading mobile-first short-form video platform with vertical, algorithmic, free content. It directly attacks Quibi's value proposition (mobile-native short-form video consumption) and offers it free with social and creator-network effects that Quibi lacked.
• Snap (Snapchat): Snap operates a mobile-first platform with vertical short-form video through Spotlight and licensed premium short-form programming through Discover. Snap is one of the closest comparables to Quibi's mobile-native, premium-short-form thesis, with strong distribution among younger mobile-first audiences.

Emerging players

• Instagram (Reels): Instagram Reels is Meta's mobile-native short-form video product competing directly with TikTok. Reels targets the same use case Quibi chased (mobile short-form attention between activities), but with free ad-supported economics and Instagram's existing billion-plus user base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Quibi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Quibi