Quibi Streaming Service Is Now Totally Dead

With most of us stuck at home in 2020, demand for streaming platforms has surged. But while the likes of Netflix and Shudder enjoyed record subscriber numbers, there was one much-publicized failure. The short-form video service Quibi launched in April but struggled to find subscribers, and last month, it was confirmed that it was closing down. The service is now completely unavailable.

Anyone hoping to finish watching any of the shows they had been enjoying on Quibi are in for bad news if they load the app on their mobile device. While the app opens, a message simply states that it "could not load products." We are asked to "please try again later," but this seems like wishful thinking.

The December 1 expiration date for Quibi was announced last month, shortly after the confirmation that the service was closing down. A statement from the company said that it didn't know what would happen to its many original shows, such as horror anthology 50 States of Fright and the reboot of Reno 911.

"At this time we do not know if the Quibi content will be available anywhere after our last day of service," the statement read. "We recommend following #Quibi on Twitter for any news regarding content."

Quibi was initially hailed by co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg as a revolutionary new combatant in the streaming wars, with its emphasis on short-form content specifically geared for mobile devices. But as Katzenberg explained in a call to investors in September, he was forced to shut down the business due to flagging viewer numbers, disappointing download numbers, and also an ongoing lawsuit from technology firm Eko over the ownership of the company's streaming technology.