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WasQuibi a failureor just before its clip ? This calendar month , a unforesightful - video app and Quibi - similar entertainment inspection and repair calledReelShortfound its way to the top of the App Store , which led to the app gaining 1.9 million downloads ( so far ) in the calendar month of November alone . Last Saturday , the app also bump off a day-by-day record in damage of both downloads and revenue , with 326,000 newfangled installs and $ 459,000 in net tax revenue — the latter meaning the revenue it retained after paying app store fees .
This data , provided by market intelligence service firmAppfigures , raises the motion as to whether there ’s a continued consumer appetence for short - anatomy , produced amusement , similar to what thefailed startup Quibionce offer up , or if ReelShort ’s clip at the top of the chart is more of a fluke — or perhaps one help by heavy app marketing advert spend .
The company , Sunnyvale - based Crazy Maple Studio , did n’t respond to press inquiry about its app ’s newfound succeeder , but the studio apartment ’s other mobile products includeanimated interactive story apps , fable appsandstorytelling apps . ReelShort fits into that prominent portfolio as it sport short , “ insect bite - sized ” display with literal actors , and habituate a virtual currency to unlock further episodes . Users can catch advertizing to earn coins or they can buy them directly in the app .
As a result of this poser , the app has been downloaded 11 million times across Io and Android and has generate $ 22 million in last revenue to particular date since its August 2022 launch . This month , ReelShort even spent a couple of days as the No . 2 app in the U.S. and made it as high-pitched as No . 1 in the Entertainment category for around four days .
What ’s more impressive about this is that ReelShort ’s video depicted object itself is arguably worse than Quibi ’s — andQuibi ’s was not always great . The acting and writing in ReelShort are so bad that you almost have to wonder if it ’s knowing at times . The stories themselves are like snippets from low - quality easy lay — or as if those mobile storytelling games descend to biography . But , disregarding , the app has constitute a second of an audience , its tax revenue argue .
On medium , ReelShort mother close to $ 2 per download , Appfigures suppose . That ’s more than Quibi ’s estimated $ 0.73 per download , though that comparison does n’t regard inflation .
Quibi claim its shutdown was due to the app ’s launching timing — it was stand for to be an on - the - go app but ended up arriving amid a pandemic when everyone was staying at home base . However , the app alsofailed to capitalise on what made social video recording successful , instead relying on Hollywood writers and personalities to make dumbed - down content that was often boring or just left . ReelShort does n’t exactly upend this exemplar with timbre content disregard down to snippet size . rather , it has beenrunning thousand of ads on Meta ’s platformsto showcase its soap opera house - like stories .
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This month , Meta counts around 8,100 advertising in the U.S. , which could avail to explicate the hike in installs and revenue . The app also ran an Apple Search Ads campaign late , Appfigures mark . Its downloads bulge to cast off , in all likelihood right after the run ended , and receipts then follow .
The doubt now is whether or not these fresh user who have discover ReelShort will perplex around for a Quibi redux .
After all , the ReelShort ’s competition , much like Quibi ’s , continues to be TikTok — a platform with engaging shortsighted - form video that also includes film snippet from high - quality sources . TikTok substance abuser will often incur themselves take in back - to - back snip that root for highlights from popular films to watch out a two - minute longsighted movie cut down to something like 10 minutes ’ worth of content . Despite the copyright infringement lay claim that leave to many takedowns of this form of depicted object , it continue to pervade the app . Paramount finally embraced the trendby releasing “ Mean Girls ” last calendar month in 23 snippet on TikTok(at least for a special time ) .
ReelShort today has sundry reviews , with many users kvetch about the virtual currentness and the ads model . Some say they ’d rather pay for a subscription , or at least call back ads should be more special . Many recap take the substance is entertaining or even “ great , ” which seems like a stretch . But the app continue to be ranked as the No . 3 Entertainment app in the U.S. for the clip being , which hint there is consumer demand for something like this .
