Streaming startup Quibi surprised many people on Thursday when they released full episodes of several of their original series on YouTube, the first time full episodes have been available elsewhere besides the app. Quibi has been around for almost a month, but they've anecdotally struggled to gain traction in the streaming game, as they billed themselves to be primarily mobile only to emerge at a time when people are staying home more than ever before. Putting some of their content on YouTube is a new enticement to bring people to the app.
Content companies have been offering varying levels of free services and trials over the last month and a half to support people who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic. One notable example is HBO, which put some of their original movies and TV shows on Hulu for free for an undetermined amount of time. Quibi has a 90-day free trial available new subscribers, but people will not be able to sign up for that trial after the end of April.
With that in mind, Quibi is making a renewed push to get subscribers to sign-up. A glance at the company's YouTube page reveals full episodes of three programs: Most Dangerous Game, Dummy, and The Stranger. Each of these shows has its pilot episode available on YouTube. The pilots come in two separate formats: one in landscape mode and one in portrait mode. One of the selling points of Quibi is the optimization of content based on the orientation a user chooses to utilize on their device. A landscape version of The Stranger is below:
While Quibi placed some of their original content on their YouTube page, they haven't actually made any public comments about doing so. There's no mention on any of the company's social media pages about the YouTube decision, despite all the videos being up for at least an hour. Additionally, as of Thursday afternoon, none of the videos have more than a few hundred views, which pales in comparison to the company's YouTube trailers and teasers, which often rack up tens of thousands of views quickly, like when they released a trailer for the Reno 911! reboot.
Quibi has many strong content creators within their ranks - among the three shows on YouTube, the likes of Liam Hemsworth, Christoph Waltz, and Anna Kendrick can be seen. Their biggest problem is launching amid a global pandemic. Putting some of their content on YouTube is just one more way Quibi is trying to adjust to their misfortune.
Source: Quibi via YouTube