Quibi CEO Meg Whitman calls launch “slightly below” par

Quibi says since April 6, it has 3.5 million downloads and 1.3 million active users

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox.  Sign up here.

Meg Whitman says the initial performance of the streaming service Quibi has come in slightly under expectations.

The Quibi CEO said the performance was largely due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an interview with Deadline.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Whitman is optimistic as North America gradually emerges from lockdown.

Whitman told Deadline, “We were designed for a different use case, no question about it, but we’re pretty pleased about where we are.”

WHAT IS QUIBI?

Quibi says since April 6, it has 3.5 million downloads and 1.3 million active users.

First year expectations for the short-form video service were for 7 million subscribers and $250 million in subscriber revenue.

NEW PHONE-ONLY QUIBI AIMS FOR BITE OF DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT

Whitman said the company has “ample resources” from its total funding to date of $1.8 billion.

Most initial subscribers have reportedly gone with the $5-a-month, ad-supported version of the service.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Whitman said Quibi will make a renewed pitch to advertisers this fall in order to re-engage Madison Avenue.

That might be a tall order given the sudden economic downturn.