Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Amazon will retire its Freevee branding in the coming weeks as it shifts resources to the Prime Video service.
- Viewers in supported countries will still be able to watch their favorite Freevee content for free via Prime Video.
- No consequent layoffs are expected, as Freevee-related employees have already been integrated into other teams.
Amazon Freevee first debuted in 2019 as IMDb Freedive. Since then, the service has offered viewers in select countries, including the US and UK, a limited, ad-supported catalog of TV shows at no cost. With Amazon now focusing on Prime Video, though, it will be phasing out Freevee in the coming weeks.
According to Deadline, Amazon is retiring Freevee and redirecting users to Prime Video instead. The company will continue offering its original Freevee shows, such as Judy Justice and High School, through its Prime Video platform. Such content will be marked with a “Watch for Free” label, making it easy for free, non-Prime users to find and view them. An Amazon spokesperson told Deadline:
To deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers, we have decided to phase out Freevee branding. 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 – all available on Prime Video.
Rumors about this move surfaced earlier this year when Amazon brought ads to Prime Video. With both Amazon-owned platforms now similarly offering ad-supported tiers, it makes little sense to maintain them separately.
Behind the scenes, Freevee’s content and business teams have already been integrated into Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video, respectively. As a result, Amazon isn’t expected to lay off any of them for the time being. In a sense, the move is more of a merger between the two streaming platforms rather than a complete shutdown.
It remains unclear whether the free content will eventually be available in more countries and regions as part of Amazon Prime Video.
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