Quibi Sets December App Shutdown Date

Quibi plans to shut down its app on or around Dec. 1, marking the official end date of the short-lived streaming video service that announced its shutdown Wednesday after failing to gain traction in its brief, six-month lifespan. In an end-of-service announcement posted Thursday on the customer support section of Quibi’s website, which otherwise directs users to sign up for free trials and watch trailers for Quibi programming, the company said it would cease streaming in about a month’s time, but that the fate of most of its shows is still uncertain. “We anticipate that the service will end streaming on or about December 1, 2020,” the post read. “We appreciate the support we have received from our customers and want to thank you for giving us an opportunity to entertain you … At this time we do not know if the Quibi content will be available anywhere after our last day of service.” The announcement directed users to a general help email address for assistance. It also advised following the #Quibi hashtag on Twitter—not Quibi’s own Twitter handle, which has not been active for the last three days—for any updates about the failed streaming service's programming. Quibi’s shutdown date is not immediately apparent to users who may not have sought out the announcement directly. The app itself makes no mention of the shutdown, and Quibi has not yet sent subscribers any information about the platform's final days. It’s unclear whether the service will continue to renew monthly subscriptions or continue to offer free trials through its end date. An email to a Quibi spokesperson went unreturned as of press time. The shutdown date offers some more clarity about the final days of the Quibi app since Wednesday's announcement. On that day, co-founders Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman first told investors and, later, employees, that the company would begin winding down less than seven months after its April debut. This updated notice still highlights the uncertain future for many of Quibi’s programs, many of which may be shopping around for new homes pending the service's shutdown. “Quibi was a big idea and there was no one who wanted to make a success of it more than we did,” Katzenberg and Whitman wrote in an open letter to employees and investors. “Our failure was not for lack of trying; we’ve considered and exhausted every option available to us.” Most of Quibi’s staff was laid off Wednesday, and some of them found out about the shutdown only through news reports, Adweek previously reported. Quibi is looking to sell off programming piecemeal if it can, as well as its Turnstyle technology, which is currently embroiled in a lawsuit. Why Quibi Failed: 5 Reasons the Short-Form Streamer Sank So Fast