The big picture: Spielberg's new project for Quibi is unique in that it can only be viewed after midnight. While this restriction certainly helps to set the mood for a scary show, it's going to artificially limit who can watch the series. For example, what if you work the graveyard shift and don't have time to tune in at night?
Renowned director, producer and writer Steven Spielberg is working on a horror series that'll only be available to stream after midnight.
The series, currently being developed under the title "Spielberg's After Dark," will air exclusively on Quibi, the upcoming streaming platform founded by media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg. A countdown clock will manage when a user has access to the show - once the sun comes up, it'll disappear until the next night.
Quibi, short for quick bites of content, is a mobile-focused storytelling platform that was announced in October 2018. The company's first employee was former Hewlett Packard Enterprise and eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Together, they've raised $1 billion from investors with more money to come.
At the Banff World Media Festival in Canada over the weekend, Katzenberg said Spielberg came to him and said "I have a super scary story I want to do." Spielberg is writing it himself which is something he hasn't done in a while - in fact, he was last credited as a writer on the 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
Spielberg is also working on a project for Apple TV+, the Cupertino-based company's upcoming storytelling service.
Quibi will have two pricing tiers when it launches on April 6, 2020 - a $4.99 per month option with short ads and a $7.99 ad-free variant.
Lead image credit: John Shearer via AP