ROKU ACQUIRES QUIBI LIBRARY, DEAL LIKELY INCLUDES WWE SERIES

Roku officially announced today that it has acquired all the rights to the original programming that had been featured on the now defunct mobile streaming platform Quibi, which fizzled upon its debut last year.  The platform  which featured 5-10 minute long short form programming exclusive for its subscribers, shut down just six months after being launched by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman

WWE created an exclusive reality series, Fight Like a Girl, for the platform.  The series ran ten episode with WWE's female stars paired with a woman who was dealing with personal issues they felt were holding them back.  Over the course of the episode, the featured woman and the WWE star meet and bond while discussing issues they have each dealth with in life.  We then followed the subject as she worked out at the WWE Performance Center to help transform herself for the better before seeing an official unveiling ceremony inside the ring.  It was designed to be an uplifting series with Stephanie McMahon, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Nikki and Brie Bella, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Sonya Deville, Natalya, Paige and Nia Jax all taking part.

There was no official mention of the WWE series, but it is likely to have been included.

The official announcement reads:

The Roku Channel to bring Quibi content to streamers in 2021

Hey Streamers! Today, we’re very excited to announce that we’re expanding The Roku Channel‘s library with shows from some of today’s biggest entertainers. How, you ask? By bringing Quibi’s ground-breaking entertainment directly to The Roku Channel in 2021! The Roku Channel will soon be home to Emmy-nominated and popular shows, such as #FreeRayshawn, Chrissy’s Court, Die Hart, Dummy, Flipped, Most Dangerous Game, Punk’d, Reno 911!, Survive, and more, featuring stars including, Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Liam?Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Richie, Chrissy Teigen, Lena Waithe, and many others. We’re in the process of prepping everything and will be updating the Roku blog with more details once we’re ready to share. 

 

What does this mean?

Content from Quibi, the home for movie quality original entertainment from today’s biggest stars, is moving to The Roku Channel. In 2021, the quick bites and big stories made famous on Quibi will be available to stream on The Roku Channel, giving you access to hundreds of hours of new content. More importantly, all of this amazing content will be available to you for free. Plus, you’ll be able to watch content wherever you can watch The Roku Channel.

What type of shows will be available on The Roku Channel?

When launched later this year, you’ll be able to watch Emmy award–winning content produced by the most successful studios in the business. Programming will feature stars such as Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Liam?Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Richie, Chrissy Teigen, Lena Waithe, and others, will be available to you in just a few clicks. 

When will users be able to watch Quibi programming on The Roku Channel?

We’re working on bringing you more than 75 shows and hundreds of hours of entertainment in 2021. Again, we’re busy getting everything prepped but stayed tuned to the Roku blog for more details once we’re ready to share. 

The Roku Channel is your home for free and premium news and entertainment on the Roku platform and our goal is to bring you a best-in-class entertainment experience with a broad range of programming. For many of you, streaming has been an outlet — a little bit of a break during a very hectic 2020. We’re laser-focused on all of you streamers and delivering an exceptional user experience and incredible value. Whether you’re watching from a Roku device, The Roku Channel mobile app or the The Roku Channel on Web, we’re making it easy for you to find the entertainment you want. 

What show from Quibi’s library are you most excited to see on The Roku Channel? Keep an eye on the Roku blog for future updates.

Happy Streaming!

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet