Brief:
- Quibi formed a marketing and content partnership in Canada with Bell Media, the TV and radio broadcasting unit of the country's biggest telecommunications company. Bell will market Quibi to Canadians through Bell Media and Bell Mobility, per an announcement.
- As part of the agreement, Bell Media will produce exclusive content for Quibi's "Daily Essentials" that features news, entertainment and inspirational content. Quibi will launch in Canada on April 6, and will charge C$6.99 a month for a version with ads, and C$9.99 for the ad-free tier, per the announcement.
- In addition, Quibi announced its full launch lineup, according to TechCrunch. The platform will have 50 shows live at launch, with a total of 8,500 episodes across 175 shows in its first year.
Insight:
Quibi's marketing and content agreement with Bell Media gives the mobile video startup a stronger foothold in Canada. Not only can Bell promote Quibi among mobile consumers, but the exclusive news and sports content gives Canadians another reason to subscribe to Quibi. For Quibi, the collaboration with a major Canadian broadcaster helps to broaden its footprint in North America. Quibi, which is short for "quick bites," will feature series whose episodes are a maximum of 10 minutes long and are designed for vertical and horizontal viewing on a mobile device.
The agreement with Bell comes a week after Quibi announced that it raised $750 million in a second round of financing to support content development and technological innovation. Quibi will have 50 shows for its launch, including originals from with Jennifer Lopez, Chrissy Teigen, Chance the Rapper, Liam Hemsworth, Sophie Turner, Lena Waithe, Nicole Richie, Reese Witherspoon, Variety reported. By announcing its launch lineup a month early, Quibi can drum up buzz about the new service that looks to compete with Netflix and other streaming services.
Quibi has generated interest from advertisers seeking a brand-safe alternative to YouTube, TikTok and other social networks whose dependence on user-generated content makes them vulnerable to abuse. Quibi in October said it sold out its first-year ad inventory for $150 million. The company's first-year advertisers include AB InBev, Discovery, General Mills, Google, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Progressive, Taco Bell T-Mobile and Walmart..
