Quibi — Short-Form Streaming

Quibi's $1.75 billion funding and six-month lifespan make it the most spectacular failure on this list. The mobile-only streaming service, founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, burned through capital at a rate of $292 million per month before shuttering in December 2020. Despite A-list talent and a high-profile launch, it attracted only 500,000 paying subscribers—far fewer than the 7.4 million needed to break even. This pivot was worse than Yahoo's missed acquisitions because it wasted massive funding with zero lasting impact, whereas Yahoo at least built residual value. No star power can compensate for ignoring market demand: Quibi failed to outperform even niche streaming services like Shudder, which operates on a fraction of the budget.