The Quibi team may have had trouble finding some poor sap to buy the underwhelming mobile-forward streaming service before its quick demise in December, but it appears that they are still able to rehome its recently abandoned content. Per The Wall Street Journal, the billion-dollar streamer is currently in “advanced talks” with Roku, Inc. who is potentially looking to buy the in-limbo library. Some of the details are still vague or unavailable, such as how much the deal would cost and the availability of all of the star-powered “quick bite” shows that the original plan had to offer (since some contracts might make the transition difficult, but not impossible, according to a source).
And while we tend to poke fun at the endeavor and its shortcomings (and c’mon, Jeffrey Katzenberg and friends blew through $1.75 billion in a matter of months, they can handle some teasing), this would actually amount to a pretty sweet haul for the Roku Channel, which would serve as the new home for all those displaced shows. Should the two parties actually strike a deal—and there’s still a chance that the whole thing could fall apart, according to WSJ—then all former Quibi content would be available exclusively on Roku’s dedicated channel, which currently offers syndicated titles. And while there may not a ton of demand for a comedy about a talking sex doll starring Anna Kendrick, there may be just enough curiosity among Roku users to tune in without having to pay a subscription fee.
Roku is aiming to bulk up its slate of offerings and with the help of its recent deals with HBO Max and NBCUniversal, it’s certainly on its way. This new potential agreement with Quibi can only help matters. The big question is: How soon can we expect to see the Reno 911! revival pop up on the device?