When DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and former Hewlett-Packard and eBay CEO Meg Whitman announced the idea for Quibi last year, there was debate over whether millennials and Gen Zers would cash in on a mobile-only platform streaming shows lasting for 10 minutes or less. One thing is for certain, at the rate content deals are being announced, the highly anticipated service will, at the very least, be a full one.
Quibi, short for “quick bites,” has already secured over a $100 million in ad commitments and now, six months ahead of the platform’s set launch date of April 6, 2020, the news content deals are rolling in, especially in the past week. So far, it looks like the platform, which will cost users $4.99 a month with ads, and $7.99 a month without ads, will host a wide range of news content, everything from sports and international news to celebrity gossip. With each new show announcement, baked-in sponsors like Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Walmart, Progressive and Google, might be able to take a sigh of relief.
Most of the news content will live on the platform's “Daily Essentials,” a daily curated list of news and entertainment. Quibi is currently seeking to fill a number of positions for Daily Essentials. This week, the company posted for roles such as a Production Executive and Senior Content Executive.
Here are all the recent news producers willing to take a risk on the service:
TMZ’s two daily celebrity news shows
On Friday, Quibi announced its latest content partnership with TMZ. TMZ will air two celebrity news shows curated for millennials, one airing in the morning and one in the afternoon. In a statement, TMZ Executive Producer Harvey Levin calls Quibi “the future.” The shows will air five days a week and contain content from basketball and hip-hop to YouTubers and celebs, and produced specifically for a mobile experience. They will be featured on Quibi’s Daily Essentials.
Telemundo’s two English news shows
NBC’s Spanish-language network Telemundo will produce two daily English-language shows aimed at millennials and Gen Zers on Quibi’s Daily Essentials. The shows will offer news from a Latino perspective and aim to reach a bilingual and bicultural audience. They will be produced at Telemundo’s headquarters in Miami.
ESPN’s daily sports show
Earlier this week, ESPN announced that it will not only have a daily sports show on the service but will also be the exclusive sports partner of Quibi. The show will air as part of Quibi’s Daily Essentials. Perhaps unlike other deals, ESPN will produce the show and license it back to Quibi, according to the New York Times.
CBS News’ modernized '60-Minutes' show
On Tuesday, CBS News announced it will launch “60 in 6,” a show that will condense news into 6-minute episodes for the platform. CBS News will produce one show a week starting when the service launches in April. The idea is to capture the same spirit as CBS’ “60 Minutes,” but for a mobile generation. “This is a perfect opportunity to bring 60 Minutes’ style of storytelling, in-depth reporting, and investigative journalism to a new audience,” said “60 Minutes” Executive Producer Bill Owens in a statement.
BBC’s daily international news show
In September, BBC Global News announced it will produce a daily international news show along with being the exclusive international news programmer for Daily Essentials. The show will air five days a week and will last about five-minutes long.
NBC’s morning and evening news shows
In July, NBC announced plans to build out a full production team exclusively for its Quibi output—a six-minute morning and evening news show that will air seven days a week and feature dedicated news hosts and original content.
Don’t forget the entertainment
Of course, the platform will also host a ton of entertainment content on top of news. Famous directors like Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Lorne Michaels, Antoine Fuqua and Steven Soderbergh have signed on to create scripted shows for the service, no more than 10 minutes long. Quibi has green-lit dozens of shows starring stars of the small and large screen including Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick and Idris Elba, among others. On October 3, Quibi announced a horror anthology show from Gunpowder & Sky’s ALTER horror brand called “50 States of Fright,” featuring Christina Ricci and “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan. Last week, Comedy Central announced that “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah will star in a comedy show for Quibi where he will travel around the U.S. and share how his interactions impact his standup material.
