Quibi’s vast library of short-form content may have found a new home.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Roku is nearing a deal to buy the content catalog of Quibi, the short-form mobile streaming platform launched by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman that launched in April 2020 before shuttering in December.
The deal would give Roku — which makes a popular device for streaming video through TV sets — a slate of exclusive programs for its own free-to-watch app called the Roku Channel, which currently broadcasts other companies’ movies and shows along with ads.
The terms would give Roku rights to Quibi shows that feature big names such as Chrissy Teigen, Anna Kendrick, and Liam Hemsworth and include titles like “Murder House Flip,” “Most Dangerous Game,” and “Dummy,” according to the paper.
While the companies are in advanced discussions, the financial terms of the deal are unclear and the talks could still fall apart, the Journal says.
Quibi announced last fall that it planned to wind down operations after failing to attract a sustainable base of subscribers, leaving dozens of Quibi projects in limbo. The streaming app went dark on December 1 less than eight months after launching.
