Quibi's short-form videos will be resurrected in 2021 thanks to Roku

After weeks of rumours, Roku has acquired the rights to Quibi's library. The defunct streaming service of short-form shows will therefore live on, but only through the Roku Channel.

The content should begin to appear in Roku's app for free this year. Over 75 shows are included in the deal.

Although Roku did not disclose how much it paid for Quibi's content, nor did it reveal an exact rollout date, The Wall Street Journal claimed the streaming media company paid “significantly less” than $100 million. Roku’s announcement did say the content it licensed will feature stars such as Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Liam Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Richie, and Chrissy Teigen.

Quibi's shows were originally designed for mobile devices, but months after Quibi's launch, you could access them on TVs through apps that released for Apple TV, Android TV, and Fire TV. Quibi content could also be streamed to compatible TVs via AirPlay and Chromecast.

The Roku Channel is available on Rokus, smart TVs, mobile apps, and the web.

Roku - a popular maker of streaming devices that serve up video apps such as Netflix - has been trying to focus more on software. By acquiring Quibi, it can place the shows exclusively within The Roku Channel to help grow the app.

Keep in mind every streaming video app, from Disney+ to CBS All Access, has been scrambling to bulk up their original content offerings. 

Roku will reportedly maintain exclusive rights to Quibi’s content until 2027, and it will have to present the shows in their original form, and can't string multiple short-form shows together to create content that's of a longer, more traditional length, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In October 2020, Quibi announced it was shutting down after just six months, despite managing to raise $1.75 billion in funding.

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