Amazon is pushing back on a report that suggested Freevee will shut down this spring.
On Thursday, AdWeek reported that Freevee – Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming service – will be shutting down in the next few weeks, possibly by early April. According to the publication, with the addition of advertising to Amazon’s flagship Prime Video streaming service, Freevee has been rendered redundant.
But an Amazon spokesperson called the report inaccurate, saying in a statement to Gold Derby that “There are no changes to Freevee. Amazon Freevee remains an important streaming offering providing both Prime and non-Prime customers thousands of hit movies, shows, and Originals, all for free.” The spokesperson did not directly address the future of Freevee.
Freevee, which bore IMDb branding until 2022, is a FAST service that does not require signing up for Prime Video, Amazon’s subscription streaming service. Its content, which mostly consists of licensed shows and movies with a handful of originals, is accessible through a standalone Freevee app as well as within the Prime Video app. Its status as a sort of tandem service with Prime Video has been confusing to consumers and ad buyers, according to AdWeek. And now that Prime Video is becoming ad-supported, Amazon has no need for two streaming services. Freevee’s content and operations are expected to be absorbed into Prime Video.
Folding Freevee into Prime Video could streamline Amazon’s streaming product by turning Prime Video into one service with three tiers: free ad-supported, ad-supported subscription, and ad-free premium subscription, according to AdWeek. It would also provide Prime Video with an easier path to convert free users into paying subscribers.
There has already been some movement of content slated for Freevee to Prime Video, fueling speculation that Freevee is in the process of getting subsumed. Last week, Prime Video announced that Season 2 of the crime drama “American Rust,” which Freevee picked up after Showtime canceled it, would premiere on Prime Video instead. And Freevee original “Leverage: Redemption” will be moving to Prime Video for Season 3.
Freevee’s original programming has included the Emmy-nominated comedy series “Jury Duty”, the “Bosch” spinoff “Bosch: Legacy,” and Judy Sheindlin’s courtroom reality series “Judy Justice.”
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