Showbiz Sandbox 516: What Went Wrong With Quibi
October 27, 2020
Quibi, the bite-sized content platform founded by media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg and business leader Meg Whitman, has been mocked since it was first announced. Now after six months and $2 billion, Quibi is kaput. Unable to find an audience, and despite a fruitless attempt to find a buyer, Quibi is officially shutting down.
The company insists people were gunning for them from the start, but the simple truth is that Quibi always seemed like a solution in search of a problem. Besides, however good the content may have been, it was going to be very hard to convince people to plunk down $5 a month just to watch random videos while commuting.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including Netflix misses its third quarter subscriber goal, television ratings for live sports events plummets and box office continues to soar in China and Japan.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Shonda Rhimes Is Ready to “Own Her S***”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/shonda-rhimes-is-ready-to-own-her-s-the-game-changing-showrunner-on-leaving-abc-culture-shock-at-netflix-and-overcoming-her-fears
China’s ‘The Sacrifice’ Bows To $53M; ‘Demon Slayer’ Tops $100M In Japan
https://deadline.com/2020/10/demon-slayer-japan-the-sacrifice-china-imax-global-international-box-office-1234602427/
‘Honest Thief’ Continues To Lead Lackluster Pandemic Box Office, ‘Empty Man’ Tripped By Holdovers
https://deadline.com/2020/10/honest-thief-empty-man-after-we-collided-weekend-box-office-1234602930/
AMC Plans to Sell 15 Million Shares, Warns Investors of Potential Bankruptcy
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/amc-chain-warns-bankruptcy-filing-1234810731/
James Bond Film ‘No Time to Die’ Explored $600 Million Sale to Streaming Services
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/james-bond-no-time-to-die-netflix-apple-1234814809/
UK Must Be ‘Brave’ and Prosecute Gulf Royal Accused of Sexual Assault, Says Top QC
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/22/uk-must-be-brave-and-prosecute-gulf-royal-accused-of-sexual-assault-says-top-qc
‘Lovecraft Country’ Hits Series High Ratings With Epic Season Finale
https://deadline.com/2020/10/lovecraft-country-season-finale-tv-ratings-hbo-series-high-1234600763/
HBO Max Hits 28.7 Million Subscribers in Q3, Warner Bros. Revenue Down 28%
https://variety.com/2020/biz/news/hbo-max-28-million-subscribers-q3-att-earnings-1234813032/
TV Ratings for Many Sports Are Down. Don’t Read Too Much Into It Yet.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/sports/tv-ratings-sports.html
Netflix Misses Wall Street Expectations With 2.2M Subscriber Additions
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-adds-2-2-million-subs-as-pandemic-fueled-growth-subsides
Library Ebook Lending Surges as UK Turns to Fiction During Lockdown
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/23/library-ebook-lending-surges-as-uk-turns-to-fiction-during-lockdown
New Rules Keep Disneyland and Many Other California Theme Parks Closed for Now
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-10-20/disneyland-california-theme-parks-reopen-guidelines
Quibi Is Shutting Down Barely Six Months After Going Live
https://www.wsj.com/articles/quibi-weighs-shutting-down-as-problems-mount-11603301946
As Quibi Shutters, So Goes Nearly $2 Billion in Major Hollywood Investments
https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/quibi-shuts-down-hollywood-investoes-1234812522/
Marge Champion, Dancer, Actor and Choreographer, Dies at 101
Tom Maschler, Bold British Publisher and Booker Prize Founder, Dies at 87
William Blinn, ‘Brian’s Song’ and ‘Roots’ Screenwriter, Dies at 83
https://variety.com/2020/tv/obituaries-people-news/william-blinn-dead-dies-purple-rain-brians-song-screenwriter-1234814871/
Ming Cho Lee, Fabled Set Designer, Is Dead at 90
The Amazing Randi, Famed Magician and Escapologist, Dies at 92
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/the-amazing-randi-famed-magician-and-escapologist-dies-at-92
Keith Jarrett Confronts a Future Without the Piano
Comments