Roku confirms Quibi content deal

Set-top box and AVoD company Roku has confirmed its deal to acquire global distribution rights to collapsed US shortform SVoD platform Quibi’s library.

Jeffrey Katzenberg

Roku will make more than 75 shows and documentaries available for free on an ad-supported basis on The Roku Channel later this year, including more than a dozen new programmes that had not launched on Quibi before it was shuttered last year.

The content includes Emmy-winning scripted series, alternative and reality programming and documentaries featuring stars such as Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Liam Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Richie, Chrissy Teigen and Lena Waithe.

The Roku Channel features more than 40,000 free movies and programmes and 150 free live linear television channels.

Following an internal restructuring by Quibi, Roku acquired Quibi Holdings, the company that holds all of Quibi’s content distribution rights. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Reports emerged last week that Quibi was on the verge of selling its content catalogue to Roku.

Quibi launched on April 6 in the US, Canada, UK and Germany but was shut down in October after falling well short of expectations.

Founded by former Walt Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, the app featured high-end content featuring Hollywood stars and was designed to be viewed on the go, with episodes of less than 10 minutes. It received US$1.75bn in seed funding from companies including BBC Studios, Disney and NBCUniversal.

Its content library included big-budget commissions from talent including Will Smith, Megan Rapinoe and Trevor Noah. It cost US$4.99 per month and US$7.99 ad-free but was available with a free 90-day trial.

Katzenberg had previously blamed the underwhelming consumer response to Quibi on the coronavirus pandemic.

The Roku Channel is the home to free and premium news and entertainment and in Q4, 2020 reached US households with an estimated 61.8 million people.

“The Roku Channel is one of the largest and fastest growing channels on our platform today and we are consistently expanding the breadth and quality of our free, ad-supported content for our users. This announcement marks a rare opportunity to acquire compelling new original programming that features some of the biggest names in entertainment,” said Rob Holmes, VP of programming at Roku.

“The most creative and imaginative minds in Hollywood created groundbreaking content for Quibi that exceeded our expectations. We are thrilled that these stories, from the surreal to the sublime, have found a new home on The Roku Channel,” said Katzenberg.