Quibi Finally Adds Airplay Streaming Support For TV Viewing
Was there ever a new brand with worse timing thanQuibi? Quibi, a mobile streaming platform dreamed up by Jeffrey Katzenberg and supported by dozens of high-profile stars and filmmakers, was supposed to be the next big thing — by making content much, much smaller. On paper, it’s an interesting idea: a streaming platform for the commuter, for people to watch on the subway or in the office bathroom stall. But there’s no way of knowing whether people would’ve gotten over the dumb name and latched onto Quibi’s concept, because the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit. And suddenly, the commuters that Quibi was targeting as its key demographic were all stuck at home.
After a disappointing launch that could result in theloss of half a billion dollarsthis year, Quibi began thetransition from mobile-onlyto TV viewing, fast-tracking the app’s availability on TV casting devices such as Roku or Chromecast. The first phase of that transition to TV has apparently been rolled out, with Quibi adding Airplay streaming for iPhone users casting Quibi content from their phones to their televisions.
Chief Product Officer Tom Conrad announced the change on Twitter, “Sure we designed Quibi for on-the-go, but these days visiting the family room is like a day trip… so AirPlay support is live for iOS in Quibi 1.3.” Conrad added that support for Chromecast streaming will arrive next month.
Sure we designed Quibi for on-the-go, but these days visiting the family room is like a day trip… so AirPlay support is live for iOS in Quibi 1.3. Working hard on Chromecast too which will be available in June.
— Tom Conrad (@tconrad)July 06, 2025
Making Quibi available to watch on TV was always part of the plan, according to co-creator Meg Whitman, but the pandemic has clearly accelerated those plans as the service’s original billing as the “on-the-go” streaming app wasn’t going to happen. But it’s still unclear if this will be too little, too late, as many might have already dismissed Quibi after a lackluster rollout and a slate ofpoorly reviewed original titles. Maybe people don’t actually want 5-10 minute episodes created by filmmakers who are used to working with a two-hour runtime. But perhaps with a bigger screen, those short episodes will at least look better.
