Amazon is phasing out its free, ad-supported streaming service, Freevee. All the shows and movies will go to Amazon Prime Video.
The transition will programming from Freevee, including originals like Jury Duty and Bosch: Legacy, become available under a “Watch for Free” area on the Prime Video platform. This change applies to all Freevee territories: the US, UK, Germany, and Austria. No layoffs are anticipated as the content and business teams of Freevee were previously integrated into Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video, respectively.
The platform already offers a mix of content, including rentals, purchases, free ad-supported television (FAST) channels, and select free episodes of Prime Video originals. Amazon Prime has become more of an aggregator of services over time that are both for Prime subscribers and non-subscribers, so this is really good for its existing hybrid model. Integrating Freevee content just gives more reason for people to go to the Amazon Prime Video app. I’ve watched plenty of documentaries on Freevee, and the service tends to crash noticeably often for me, so the content going to a more stable app is a win for my book.
Amazon announced ads for Prime Video back in January 2024. This really set up a way for a free service to come to Amazon since ads tend to pay for the service. Amazon plays about three minutes worth of ads every hour, and Freevee’s ads are far more common, with some users reporting two to three minutes of ads every six minutes. So, if Amazon doesn’t change ad frequency for Prime Video, then Freevee viewers have a great reason to be happy with the merger.
While specific viewership data remains undisclosed, Amazon reported a tripling of Freevee’s monthly active users between 2020 and 2022, reaching 65 million. That substantial user base will be added to the platform’s existing audience. This will only strengthen Prime Video’s position in the streaming market.
Source: Deadline
