Quibi: Streaming service is officially dead

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

It's officially time to grab a bottle of your finest hooch and pour one out for Quibi, the short-form and short-lived subscription service from Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman. While Quibi still has a working website and active accounts across social media platforms, the video service that launched in April is no longer in service.

With regard to social media accounts, those outlets have become private and the Quibi app no longer allows users to log in or view programming. If you try to log in, you'll be redirected to an error message, letting you know that the platform is officially closed for business. Toward the end of its road, Quibi had made an attempt to shop its variety of series to potential buyers, but alas, their efforts were all for naught.

Katzenberg and Whitman announced their "clear-eyed" decision to shutter Quibi back in October, saying that December 1 will be the app's "last day of service."

“Quibi has made the difficult decision to wind down,” said a self-described “end of service announcement,” Quibi proclaimed on the FAQ section of the platform back in October. “We anticipate that the service will end streaming on or about December 1, 2020. We appreciate the support we have received from our customers and want to thank you for giving us an opportunity to entertain you. If you have any questions or need assistance in any way, please contact us at [email protected]."

While Quibi at one time was hoped to become "the next generation of storytelling" for today's fast-moving, smartphone-obsessed world, it was simply not meant to be. Some would say that it was a worthwhile experiment while others would argue that the platform's non-skippable ads between episodes were a fatal flaw in its presentation. Nowadays, customers want their entertainment fast and without distraction, especially if they're on the go.

Rest well, Quibi. We hardly knew ye.