Roku says its pickup of the 75-plus shows from Quibi, the short-lived premium mobile entertainment startup that went belly-up last year, has paid off beyond its expectations.
Jeffrey Katzenberg-founded Quibi launched in April 2020, at the front end of the COVID pandemic.
The higher viewing of Quibi content on Roku is a function of Roku’s far bigger reach as well as the fact that the Quibi shows are available free on the Roku Channel, whereas Quibi charged a monthly subscription fee.
With the initial batch of 30 Quibi shows, the Roku Channel saw “record-breaking reach” from May 20-June 3, according to Roku, with more unique accounts streaming the Roku Channel than any other two-week period.
On May 20, Roku added 30 original series to the Roku Channel starring talent like Kevin Hart, Anna Kendrick and Jennifer Lopez.
The lineup of 30 Roku Originals included “Chrissy’s Court,” a “Judge Judy”-style show starring Chrissy Teigen; a reboot of MTV’s “Punk’d” hosted by Chance the Rapper; Jennifer Lopez money-giveaway reality show “Thanks a Million”; and travel series “Cup of Joe” with Joe Jonas.
In May, Roku inked a deal with Saban Films to bring the studio’s feature films directly to the Roku Channel after theatrical release in the pay-TV window, which is the first agreement of its kind for Roku.