It was supposed to be the biggest streaming service the world had ever seen. Launched in 2020 by industry heavyweights Jeffrey Katzenberg (the former head of Dreamworks) and Meg Whitman (former CEO of Ebay), Quibi was expected to end up bigger than Netflix and Youtube combined. It had two billion dollars invested in it and the biggest talent in the world - everyone from Reese Witherspoon to Steven Spielberg - was making shows for it. Yet just six months after launching, the streamer shut down, becoming the second biggest start-up failure in history - behind only Theranos. So what the hell happened to Quibi - the biggest streaming service you’ve never heard of?
We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:
Quibi Wikipedia page - Complete company history and timeline
The Wall Street Journal investigation - "Quibi Was Supposed to Revolutionize Hollywood. Here's Why It Failed" (2020)
The Verge's comprehensive breakdown - "11 reasons why Quibi crashed and burned in less than a year" (2020)
Deadline's exclusive shutdown interview - Jeffrey Katzenberg & Meg Whitman detail decision to shut down (2020)
Forbes analysis - "The Fatal Miscalculation That Doomed Katzenberg And Whitman's Streamer" (2020)
NBC News post-mortem - "A look at why Quibi failed so soon after launching" (2020)
BBC behind-the-scenes report - "Quibi: Why did the video app go so wrong?" (2020)
The Guardian's cautionary tale - "They built it, but people did not come: the cautionary tale of Quibi" (2020)
Entrepreneur's marketing analysis - "What Can Marketers Learn From Quibi's Failure?" (2020)
The Media Moment's post-mortems - "What Went Wrong For Quibi: The Post-Mortems" (2020)
Quibi Super Bowl commercial - The expensive ad that confused everyone (2020)
Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: Pocket
Subscribe to The Gistener Club on Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.