Quibi Parts Ways With Partnerships, Distribution Head Months Prior To Launch

Amid a reorganization of its partnerships and distribution team, Quibi has parted ways with one of its top execs months prior to its launch.

Tim Connolly, who formerly served as head of partnerships and distribution for Jeffrey Katzenberg’s mobile video startup, is no longer with Quibi, after joining the company from Hulu late last year. Connolly’s role included spearheading distribution deals with major telecom companies for Quibi programming. He had also contributed to the negotiation of $100 million upfront advertising deals

with the likes of Google, P&G, Pepsi, and Walmart, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The reorganization will see Quibi’s ad partnerships team become a standalone group that will report directly to CEO Meg Whitman. However, Connolly’s was the only role that has been eliminated, the Reporter reports.

Prior to joining Quibi, Connolly had served as SVP of partnerships and distribution at Hulu, where he handled television carriage deals for the streamer’s skinny bundle product, and also navigated its promotional deal with Spotify to bundle subscriptions at a discount.

Quibi will launch next April with an illustrious programming slate from the likes of Steven Spielberg, NBC, Darren Criss, Liam Hemsworth, Tyra Banks, and Chrissy Tiegen. An ad-free offering will be priced at $ per month, and an ad-supported version of Quibi will be priced at $5 per month.