Quibi to support casting to TVs from iPhones this week; Android is next
Quibi was a big bet on mobile-only streaming, but almost immediately after its April launch, users complained they couldn't watch on TVs.
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Quibi's Most Dangerous Game has been the mobile-video service's most watched series so far, the company has said.
Quibi, a star-studded mobile streaming service for short-form video, will add support this week for Apple iPhones to cast to TVs, so subscribers can stream Quibi's shows on the biggest screen in the home, according to a report. Support for Android phones will come in the next few weeks.
Launched in April as a big bet on mobile-only streaming, Quibi is also slowing down its release schedule of new programming, so it will have new big-budget shows to watch into next year. Previously, it said it had already shot enough material to keep releasing new series through late November.
Quibi ramped up in the middle of a parade of new streaming services, as both tech and media giants rush to define the future of video. It's competing for your loyalty against upstarts like Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, Peacock and HBO Max, as well as established players like Netflix. And, of course, Quibi faces a Goliath in YouTube, the short-video specialist that's already drawing in more than 2 billion viewers every month.
Quibi believed its unconventional strategy -- very expensive, star-packed programming released in 10-minute-or-less episodes that you watch on phones or mobile devices -- will set it apart from the crowd.
But its launch in the middle of a pandemic trapping its audience inside their homes has turned out to be terrible timing for a video service meant to be watched on the go.
Quibi has about 1.3 million active users coming off about 3.5 million downloads of its app about six weeks after launch, co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg said in an interview with The New York Times. The company originally had projected to have 7 million users in its first year, but it is cutting those expectations now.
Priced at $5 a month with ads and $8 a month without, Quibi offers a two-week free trial.
