The mobile-first streaming service has announced it is shutting down, just a few months after its April launch.

Goodbye, Quibi. After months of bad news, the mobile-first streaming service has decided to close up shop. 

Quibi Shutdown

Gizmodo reports that Quibi had tried to sell to other content companies. On the other hand, The Information says Quibi also thought about closing. Today, it seems the company chose the latter. 

What Happened to Quibi?

The Wall Street Journal adds that Jeffrey Katzenberg had already told investors he was closing Quibi down this year. Notably, Quibi had launched last April. Katzenberg founded the company.

Katzenberg had blamed COVID-19 for Quibi’s failure. However, the service also failed to compete with rivals such as Peacock and HBO Max. Quibi lacked the firepower to survive in the streaming market.

Over the last few weeks, Quibi still sent out promo emails about its featured content. Gizmodo notes that Quibi’s failure is one of the “most spectacular tech failures in recent memory.” 

In Quibi’s Own Words

Katzenberg and Meg Whitman confirmed the shutdown in an open letter. They said they are “winding down the business,” and they plan to sell Quibi’s assets and content library.

Moreover, they admitted that Quibi did not deserve a full streaming service. Launching Quibi during a pandemic was also terrible.

The post Quibi Throws in the Towel first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Sam Arnold

Whether you use Roku or not, you can now enjoy the Roku channel on your mobile device. Roku is launching a mobile app for the Roku Channel, which hosts free shows you can stream on your devices. 

The Roku Channel Mobile App

Earlier, non-Roku users can only access the Roku Channel on the web. But with the app, they can use the Channel on their mobile. Gizmodo says that the Roku Channel mobile app will be on iOS and Android. However, the new app wouldn’t replace the Roku app that lets you control your devices. The new Roku Channel app should simply attract non-Roku users to the platform. 

Roku chases the best free streaming service with mobile support https://t.co/KKSZPSHW1L pic.twitter.com/TCIprBhBKJ

— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) September 29, 2020

What Can I Watch on the Roku Channel?

Aside from Roku’s free content, you can also subscribe to paid channels like IFC Films Unlimited, HBO, and Showtime, among others. The Roku Channel allows you to curate your programming. Other streaming services don’t give users the same freedom. However, you should still watch your subscriptions since the costs do add up. You’ll just be paying for all of them at once. 

Roku Channel’s Competition

Currently, YouTube rules over the free content landscape. The service hosts free videos on literally every topic you can think of. Also, hundreds of content creators upload videos on YouTube every day.

Roku wants to compete with YouTube by giving access to everyone. The company also separates itself from YouTube by hosting TV shows and movies. Gizmodo notes that YouTube hasn’t done well in moving toward TV. 

How the Roku Channel stacks up against other streaming services would be interesting to see. 

The post Roku Now Offers the Roku Channel for Free Mobile Streaming first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins