SAN FRANCISCO _ Tim Connollly, the head of partnerships and distribution for streaming video start-up Quibi, has left the company as part of a reorganization.
Connolly, a former Hulu executive who joined in 2018, has exited and the team that reported to him has been reorganized, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named. The advertising partnerships team will report to Quibi CEO Meg Whitman, the person said.
A Quibi spokesperson declined to comment on the move, which was first reported by Business Insider.
The change comes on the eve of Quibi's much anticipated launch in April. The Hollywood-based company aims to sell subscriptions to its streaming platform that will showcase quick bites of video, including long form narratives told in chapters that are about ten minutes long. The company plans to make money through advertising and subscriptions, charging a monthly fee of $5 a month with ads and $8 without ads.
The company said in its first year it will have an ad inventory worth $150 million and that such brands as Google, Walmart and Proctor & Gamble have signed on. The ads will appear in 6-, 10- and 15-second pre-roll ads before Quibi videos and in other formats. Whitman believes that about 75% of Quibi customers will opt for the $5 monthly subscription with ads.
Connolly was one of Quibi's higher profile hires. He is the former head of partnerships and distribution at the streaming service Hulu and a former Disney executive.
He did not respond to a request for comment.
