Amazon is shutting down Freevee, its ad-supported video streamer

RIP, Freevee.

Amazon is officially shutting down Freevee, its free, ad-supported video streaming service that originally launched almost five years ago under the IMDb brand. Freevee will be phased out over the next few weeks. In the future, content that was previously available on the service will be brought together under the Amazon Prime Video brand.

Provided in a statement diversitysaid an Amazon representative: “We've made Prime Video a first-stop entertainment destination where customers can personalize their viewing experience by enjoying exclusive Prime member entertainment from Amazon MGM Studios, licensed films and series, and content from other services Stream as a supplement.” -subscription, live sports, blockbuster films and series to rent or buy, FAST [free, ad-supported streaming TV] Channels and the complete content offering of Amazon Freevee.”

The Amazon spokesperson continued: “To provide customers with an easier viewing experience, we have decided to phase out the Freevee branding. There will be no change to the content available to Prime members, and non-Prime members will continue to have a wide range of free streaming content available, including select Amazon MGM Studios originals, a variety of licensed films and series, and a wide range of free streaming content library of FAST channels – all available on Prime Video.”

In the markets where Freevee has launched (US, UK, Germany and Austria), free content is made available to non-Prime users under the Prime Video umbrella and is labeled Watch Free.

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Original series on Freevee include the groundbreaking Emmy-nominated reality comedy “Jury Duty”; crime drama “Bosch: Legacy”; Australian soap “Neighbours”; “Alex Rider” Season 2; “Leverage: Redemption”; and “Judy Justice” with Judge Judy Sheindlin.

Additionally, Amazon has made dozens of Prime Video originals available to watch for free on Freevee, including “Reacher,” “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “The Wheel of Time,” “A League of Their Own,” “LuLaRich,” “Lizzo's.” “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” “The Grand Tour,” “Mozart in the Jungle,” “Bosch,” “Modern Love,” “Savage X Fenty,” “Sylvie's Love,” “Troop Zero,” and “Late Night.” .”

News of Freevee's closure was first reported by Bloomberg.

Freevee is the name of the ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service that was originally launched in January 2019 under the name IMDb Freedive and was renamed IMDb TV in June of the same year. Freevee was housed within the Amazon MGM Studios group.

Speculation that Amazon would freeze Freevee surfaced earlier this year after Amazon rolled out ads by default on Prime Video in January. Amazon previously denied a report that it would close Freevee in the second quarter of 2024.

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