Bulletins

Roku acquires Quibi's content library

Quibi RIP

Anyone want a Quibi?

Image: Quibi / Protocol
The streaming device maker has bought 75 shows from Quibi, which will show on its free, ad-supported Roku Channel. The company spent less than $100 million on the content rights, according to The Wall Street Journal.

"We are thrilled that these stories, from the surreal to the sublime, have found a new home on The Roku Channel," said Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg in a statement.

Quibi had raised a total of $1.75 billion before shutting down in December. The streaming service was able to win over major studios and A-list Hollywood talent with a unique licensing proposition: Quibi paid top dollars for shows that would be exclusive to the service for seven years, after which rights reverted back to the creators. Roku's deal is thought to follow those terms.

Roku also announced Friday that TVs powered by its operating system outsold all of its competitors in North America last year.

Janko Roettgers

Janko Roettgers (Twitter, Mastodon) used to be a senior reporter at Protocol, reporting on the shifting power dynamics between tech, media, and entertainment, including the impact of new technologies. Previously, Janko was Variety's first-ever technology writer in San Francisco, where he covered big tech and emerging technologies. He has reported for Gigaom, Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Zeitung, and ORF, among others. He has written three books on consumer cord-cutting and online music and co-edited an anthology on internet subcultures. He lives with his family in Oakland.

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Bulletins