Photo Credit: Attentie Attentie
The short-form video app Quibi launched yesterday with 300,000 downloads – the app servers quickly buckled.
But Quibi isn’t the only service struggling to deliver video content to its watchers. Quibi is offering a three-month free trial for its original programming that is only available on smartphone screens. The service launched with 300,000 downloads, a mere fraction of the Disney+ launch.
Mobile analytics firm SensorTower ranks Quibi as the #3 top free app on iOS. It sits behind Zoom and TikTok.
Quibi is gambling big on original programming designed for smartphones. It has a launch-day line-up of around 50 shows that are chapterized for mobile viewing. While Quibi’s launch numbers didn’t stack up to Disney+, they may be comparable to premium content providers like HBO.
The HBO Now app released five years ago and received 45,000 downloads that day. Quibi’s day-one downloads may have been boosted by an exclusive pre-order period. Video lovers were encouraged to sign up for the app to check out its content ahead of launch.
Quibi is free for 90 days to anyone in the US and Canada, matching Spotify and Apple Music trials.
Unfortunately, that means there’s no telling how many paying customers will be sticking around for a while. The service costs $4.99 per month with ads and $7.99 per month with no ads.
Quibi content includes a Punk’d revival starring Chance the Rapper and a courtroom drama featuring Chrissy Teigen. The content is designed to be consumed within 10 minutes and leave you wanting more. New episodes drop daily to keep people tuning into the app for new content, much like TikTok creators.
The whole design of the app is intended to give you the same dopamine rush of scrolling through TikTok or watching Twitch. Quibi says new shows will premiere every Monday to keep people interested in its fresh content.