Quibi may have died a relatively quick death after launching in April of 2020 but its library of content could get a second life at a new home. According to “Deadline”, Roku is in talks to acquire Quibi’s library of content.
The news actually comes to “Deadline” via a report from “The Wall Street Journal” and it should be stressed that these talks are very early and could still fall through. The report states that Roku is nearing a deal to buy the content catalog of Quibi, the short-form mobile streaming platform launched by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman which officially went dark back in December. The financial terms of the proposed deal haven’t been revealed and details still need to be ironed out.
The intention of Quibi, which was Katzenberg and Whitman’s $1.75 billion venture, was intended to change how consumers took in their streaming content. The series and films were served in 10-minute bits or less & the shows launched with a lot of publicity and high-profile stars attached to various projects on the platform. Names attached to Quibi included Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg, Antoine Fuqua, Reese Witherspoon, Anna Kendrick, Liam Hemsworth, Sophie Turner, and Jennifer Lopez. Despite all the buzz and fanfare, Quibi didn’t gain much traction and in October it was announced that they were shutting down.
