First-day data shows Quibi launched to little social media attention

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Quibi, the new American short-form mobile video platform launched by Jeffrey Katzenberg, made its debut on Monday but according to first-day data, the service didn't make quite the splash on social media when compared to some of its direct competition.

According to data from social media research firm ListenFirst Media via "Variety", Quibi was the subject of 46,554 Twitter posts on April 6. In comparison, Apple TV Plus received 8.6 times more Tweets on November 1, when it launched, while Disney+ showed up in 23 times more Tweets when it arrived on November 12. ListenFirst chief marketing officer Tracy David had this to say about the Quibi launch:

"The early social media reaction to Quibi indicates that while there’s less volume of interest around the platform compared to Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus at launch, the app is generating real-time conversation around their reality shows."

Perhaps Quibi will find that its bread and butter will be in reality TV based programming rather than 10-minute original series. David pointed out that four out of the five Quibi shows with the highest volume of mentions so far are starring or heavily featuring a celebrity, and, in the cases of Jennifer Lopez, Joe Jonas, and Chance The Rapper, musicians specifically. Jennifer Lopez is producing the charity based Thanks a Million and appeared in its first episode, giving $100,000 to a fan that impacted her personally. The series will feature other celebrities doing the same for those that impacted them as well. Chance The Rapper is headlining the new iteration of Punk'd, a fresh take on the prank series once hosted by Ashton Kutcher on MTV. Punk'd received some of the better reviews of the Quibi launches with many people pointing out that the show was perfect for the 10-minute short form format. Over the past month, Thanks a Million generated the most Twitter mentions, while a Tweet by Lopez that included the show’s trailer generated 77,849 responses and was the most viral Tweet among any Quibi programs. Also on April 6, there were 1,644 Tweets mentioning both Quibi and the rebooted Punk'd 

Quibi does have high-profile scripted series such as Survive, featuring the return of Sophie Turner to a scripted series after her run on Game of Thrones and The Most Dangerous Game with Liam Hemsworth, to name a few, but I can see why the reality programming is faring better on the service. It might just be me but I can't see myself watching a 10-minute scripted series on my phone but a quick and easy reality show might be easier to digest because it doesn't require my full sensory attention. This is the first week and this will be all trial and error to start but with over 50 shows available at launch, at least there is plenty to choose from. 

Quibi wasn't set to launch with a 90-day free trial but giving the current state of affairs with COVID-19 and many people being out of work, Katzenberg thought it was necessary to launch the service this way during a time when people might need it. T-Mobile is also offering Quibi for free for a year if you have an unlimited plan with their service.

Have YOU given Quibi a shot yet? Do YOU think the service will sustain the test of time?