From Benjamin Wallace‘s 7.6 Vulture piece, “Is Anyone Watching Quibi?”
“Quibi, which rhymes with Libby, is short for ‘quick bites.'” Wait…all this time I’ve been mispronouncing? I thought it was Kwee-bee.
“People have wondered why Quibi honcho Jeff Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman, in their late and early 60s, respectively, and not very active on social media, would believe they have uniquely penetrating insight into the unacknowledged desires of young people.
“When I ask Whitman what TV shows she watches, she responds, ‘I’m not sure I’d classify myself as an entertainment enthusiast.’ But any particular shows she likes? “Grant,” she offered. “On the History Channel. It’s about President Grant.”
“Katzenberg is on his phone all the time, but he is also among the moguls of his generation who have their emails printed out (and vertically folded, for some reason) by an assistant.
“In enthusing about what a show could mean for Quibi, Katzenberg would repeatedly invoke the same handful of musty touchstones — America’s Funniest Home Videos, Siskel and Ebert, and Jane Fonda’s exercise tapes. When Gal Gadot came to the offices and delivered an impassioned speech about wanting to elevate the voices of girls and women, Katzenberg wondered aloud whether she might become the new Jane Fonda and do a workout series for Quibi. (“’Apparently, her face fell,’ says a person briefed on the meeting.)
“Most subscribers have signed on with a 90-day free trial. This month, as that period expires, Quibi will learn how many of those people will stick around once they’re asked to pay. If they don’t, Quibi will be left to reckon with how it miscalculated so badly, and for Katzenberg and Whitman, it could be a deflating capstone to two storied careers.”