Telemundo developing two English-language news shows for Quibi

By Wendy LeeStaff Writer

Oct. 10, 2019 9:43 AM PT

Telemundo on Thursday said it was developing two exclusive English-language news shows for Quibi, a streaming service set to launch in April.

Quibi, led by veteran film mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg and veteran tech leader Meg Whitman, aims to present stories told in bite-sized chapters through video, primarily for the millennial audience. In addition to providing entertainment, Quibi also has news programs.

One of Telemundo’s shows will focus on daily news reflecting a Latino perspective, while the other program will be a five-minute rundown of the top entertainment news.

“Our viewers are young, bilingual, and ambicultural — 50,000 Hispanics in the U.S. are turning 18 every month,” Cesar Conde, the chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and NBCUniversal International Group, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be working with Jeffrey and the entire team at Quibi, an innovative company that understands and recognizes the power of our audience.”

Quibi will offer subscriptions for about $5 a month with ads and $8 a month without ads. The company is focused on bringing content to mobile phones. Quibi’s target audience is people ages 25 to 35, and its larger demographic could include people ages 18 to 44.

Latinos are part of that key demographic. Latinos stream 25% more on their mobile devices on streaming services than the general market, the companies said in a press release.

“At Quibi, our goal is to create content that reflects the diverse generation of millennials who are redefining culture and consuming media in entirely new ways,” Katzenberg, who serves as Quibi’s chairman, said in a statement. “We are excited about our groundbreaking partnership with Telemundo to create a new format for news to reach a growing bilingual and bicultural audience.”

Telemundo joins other news organizations, including CBS’ “60 Minutes” and NBC News that are working on news programs for Quibi.