iWorld
Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi OTT makes quiet India launch
MUMBAI: Almost silently, without any hoopla or noise, the $1.75 billion-funded, Jeffrey Katzenberg-promoted short video streaming service Quibi made its debut in India on 6 April. Launched in the thick of the CoVid-2019 pandemic, Quibi, which is short for Quick bites, has a price point of Rs 699 a month for the ad-free service and is available for consumption only on smartphones.
Interested viewers can download it from the Google Play stores and the Apple store and try it free for 90 days before they have to cough up the monthly fee. (The US version has two services ad-loaded at $4.99, and ad-free at $7.99 a month.)
The app’s promise is that it has no long-form catalogue movies or shows; every piece of content on it is 10 minutes or less and almost every one of them is an original.
The app launched with 50 shows, but the idea is to launch fresh content every week to take the catalogue up to 175. The slate covers everything from drama to comedy to documentaries to news to sports. On its launch day, Quibi saw over 300,000 downloads.
The big plus of Quibi is its turnstile feature which allows viewers to seamlessly switch between landscape and vertical portrait views without affecting the viewing experience. In fact, each show is edited keeping these two views in mind and two streams are delivered.
Former eBay boss Meg Whitman, who is the CEO of Quibi, stated at CES in Las Vegas in January that as compared to YouTube and platforms where shows were being made at $200 or $5,000 a minute, the spends on her service were $100,000 for a minute of content, speaking highly about its quality and the makers.
In a LinkedIn post, Whitman said, “Quibi was created to entertain, inform, and inspire by reimagining the way mobile users consume premium video content on their phones. The world is a very different place today than it was even two weeks ago. It is our hope that Quibi will provide a small moment of laughter, inspiration, or information during this unprecedented moment in our lives. I am so proud of the hard work of the entire Quibi team who have poured their hearts into building this new technology platform from the ground up. And, thank you to everyone who has made this possible, from our incredible content creators to our outstanding brand partners.”
Among the top-notch creators who have been signed on for the service include: Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Torro, Lena Waithe and Catherine Hardwick. This apart, there are special news shows being readied for it by NBC, BBC and Entertainment Weekly. Some of the shows which were trending on Quibi at the time of writing included: Most Dangerous Game, punk’d, Chrissy’s Court, The Report by NBC News, Fierce Queens, Shape of Pasta, Survive, Flipped, Thanks a Million, When the Streetlights Go on, etc.
During CES, Katzenberg and Whitman had stated that the service was for consumption on the go, during metro commutes, lunch or tea breaks or when someone had 10 minutes or less to spend on entertainment. With most consumers at home in many nations courtesy the COVID-2019 lockdown, the duo can be sure that viewers during the trial period will probably consume way beyond that.
iWorld
Meta tests Instagram Plus with stealth features and extended story tools
New paid tier targets everyday users with more control and privacy perks
MUMBAI: Meta appears to be doubling down on subscriptions, quietly testing a new premium tier called Instagram Plus that brings a mix of privacy, control and visibility tools to everyday users of Instagram.
Unlike Meta Verified, which is geared towards creators and businesses, the new offering is aimed squarely at regular users who want a little more control over how they show up and what they see on the platform.
At the heart of Instagram Plus is a rethink of Stories, the app’s most widely used feature. The test introduces the ability to view Stories anonymously, meaning users can watch or preview content without appearing in the viewer list. It also adds “rewatch insights”, allowing users to see how many times their own Stories have been viewed, a metric that has long been a source of curiosity.
There is more. Stories can stay live for up to 48 hours instead of the usual 24, giving posts a longer shelf life. Users can also create multiple audience lists beyond “Close Friends”, making it easier to tailor content for different circles such as work, family or social groups.
For those chasing visibility, a weekly “Story Spotlight” feature lets users push a post to the front of their followers’ feed. Meanwhile, searchable viewer lists make it simpler to track who has seen a Story, and a new “superlike” reaction adds a more animated way to stand out in direct messages.
The feature set may feel familiar to some. Several of these tools have previously existed through third-party workarounds or have been widely requested by users, particularly the ability to browse Stories discreetly.
Pricing for the test is deliberately modest, suggesting a strategy focused on scale. Early trials show subscription costs at roughly $1 to $2 per month in markets such as the Philippines, Mexico and Japan. The feature has not yet rolled out in India, the United States or Europe, though a broader launch later in 2026 is widely expected if the pilot gains traction.
The move reflects a broader shift in Meta’s business model. With digital advertising facing increasing competition and regulatory scrutiny, subscription products offer a more predictable revenue stream. Rivals such as Snapchat Plus have already found success, building a sizeable paying user base with similar premium add-ons.
For Meta, the bet is simple: give users more control, a touch of stealth and a dash of exclusivity, and they may be willing to pay. If the early signs hold, Instagram Plus could turn everyday scrolling into a slightly more curated, and monetised, experience.
