T-Mobile customers will soon get free access to yet another streaming service
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T-Mobile already includes a complimentary Netflix subscription with its Magenta and Magenta Plus unlimited plans, but as if the "Un-carrier's" list of frequent freebies and perks offered just for being a devoted customer wasn't impressive enough, another streaming goodie is in the pipeline.
We're not talking about an industry heavyweight like Hulu, a promising market newcomer like Disney+, or even Apple TV+, which still doesn't contain a whole lot of content. Instead, as teased all the way back in October, the nation's third-largest wireless service provider will partner with yet another emerging video streaming service.
Founded by former Walt Disney Studios chairman and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, Quibi is set to make its commercial debut on April 6 at a starting price of $4.99 a month. That will include the occasional ad, mind you, with an extra $3 a month ridding you of interruptions and one of these service tiers (probably the ad-supported option) coming to T-Mobile customers at no cost whatsoever.
Quibi.
— Quibi (@Quibi) January 8, 2020
The next evolution of entertainment is here. #QuibiCESpic.twitter.com/RpkqAt6j5C
Unfortunately, current T-Mo COO and future CEO Mike Sievert was unwilling to elaborate on this impending offer, so we don't know if Quibi will be bundled with every cellular plan available, if the freebie will be a temporary or a permanent thing, and if monthly plan rates will be impacted in any way.
What we do know is that T-Mobile is joining forces with a very ambitious startup here, led by Meg Whitman, HP's former skipper, as CEO in a quest to revolutionize the smartphone content viewing experience. Quibi is not positioned as a direct rival to the likes of Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+, aiming to provide "quick bites" (hence the name) of "captivating entertainment", especially optimized for mobile devices and created by the "best talent" in Hollywood.
One show. One screen. Two perspectives.
— Quibi (@Quibi) January 8, 2020
Hold the phone horizontally = Cinematic perspective.
Hold the phone vertically = The character’s phone takes over your phone. #QuibiCESpic.twitter.com/mANwJJKsGU
Some of the biggest names already enlisted to produce easy to digest content include Chrissy Teigen, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Lopez, Bill Murray, Kiefer Sutherland, Zac Efron, Idris Elba, Kristen Bell, Kendall Jenner, and 50 Cent. The main feature that's supposed to set this platform apart from its (non) rivals is called Turnstyle, which will allow users to seamlessly switch between two perspectives of the same show on one screen by simply rotating your phone from portrait to landscape and the other way around.
That's certainly an unconventional selling point, and the same goes for the platform's library, which will consist of 175 new original shows and 8,500 "quick bites of content" within its first year. Said quick bites will run for no more than 10 minutes, spanning everything from news programs to short TV show episodes and even movie chapters.
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