Amazon shutting down Freevee, its free streaming service

Caroline Petrow-Cohen and Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times (TNS)
Two years after its launch, Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service Freevee is shutting down, the company confirmed this week.
Shows that play on the app will be available for free on Amazon’s Prime Video service even if a viewer does not pay for a subscription.
Freevee, which got its start as Amazon’s IMDb TV but adopted its current name in 2022, is one of a handful of streaming services that rely on ads for revenue instead of paying subscribers. Paramount Global’s Pluto TV and Fox Corp.’s Tubi have similar models.
“To deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers, we have decided to phase out Freevee branding,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. “There will be no change to the content available for Prime members, and a vast offering of free streaming content will still be accessible for non-Prime members, including select Originals from Amazon MGM Studios, a variety of licensed movies and series, and a broad library of FAST Channels,” they said.
The change comes about 10 months after Prime Video launched a lower-cost option for subscribers that included advertisements. For an additional $3 per month, users could opt to watch shows ad free. Rumors of Freevee’s demise spread after the company made the new ad tier the default for Prime Video users, but Amazon denied the speculation early this year.
The company is preparing to launch a “Watch for Free” feature for non-Prime members that will offer a range of movies and television series with ads. Freevee originals, including the documentary-style comedy series “Jury Duty” and drama “Bosch: Legacy” are also available on Prime Video.
Amazon will not lay off any employees due to the change, the company said. Freevee executives are expected to be integrated elsewhere in the company and MGM Studios content teams who had worked on Freevee originals will transition to work on programming for Prime Video.
While Amazon is doing away with Freevee, the model of free ad-supported streaming services remains promising as consumers look to limit discretionary spending, experts said.
The company did not specify when Freevee services will be fully phased out, but said the “Watch for Free” feature will be available on Prime Video detail pages in the coming weeks.
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