- Content: Get Ready to Kiss Freevee Goodbye — Amazon’s Consolidating
Movieguide® Contributor
Amazon will officially phase out Freevee as it combines subscriptions and free content into Prime Video.
“Its content, which already has migrated and is available on Prime Video, will remain there, with new episodes of Freevee shows, including JUDY JUSTICE, NEIGHBOURS, TRIBUNAL JUSTICE, AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN: THE NEXT GENERATION and BOSCH: LEGACY as well as older originals including JURY DUTY, HIGH SCHOOL, HOLLYWOOD HOUSELIFT WITH JEFF LEWIS and PRIMO, staying in front of the paywall and available to non-Prime customers,” Deadline reported Nov. 12.
Now, content under “Freevee” will change to “Watch for Free” for non-Prime members.
“With the consolidation, Amazon is leaning into Prime Video already being a hybrid destination for both Prime members and non-members. It is broader than a typical streamer as it also offers new and old movies to rent or buy, a library of FAST Channels as well as sample of Prime Video originals in front of the paywall, like the first season of THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY, first three episodes of THE BOYS and the first episode of FALLOUT. That will continue,” Deadline said.
No layoffs are expected as Freevee has already been integrated into Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video.
“We have built Prime Video into a first-stop entertainment destination where customers can personalize their viewing experience by streaming exclusive Prime member entertainment produced by Amazon MGM Studios, licensed movies and series, content from other services as an add-on subscription, live sports, blockbuster movies and series to rent or buy, FAST Channels and the complete Amazon Freevee content offering,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
“To deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers, we have decided to phase out Freevee branding,” they continued. “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.”
Prime membership, which includes Prime Video, costs $14.99 per month. A solo Prime Video membership costs $8.99 per month, and users pay $2.99 per month to avoid ads.
Per PCMagv, Prime is expected to get more and more ads next year, even for paying subscribers.
Rumors have been circulating that Freevee might disappear since last year when Amazon announced that Prime would introduce ads. Freevee was the start of Amazon’s ad business, and now that its Prime Video ads are up and running, the company may not see much point in having the extra service now.
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“Still, Amazon in February pushed back at rumors that it was planning to shut down Freevee, calling the platform ‘an important streaming offering providing both Prime and non-Prime customers thousands of hit movies, shows, and originals, all for free,’” Deadline reported.
“Freevee scripted original series such as AMERICAN RUST: BROKEN JUSTICE and the upcoming ON CALL had already started migrating to Prime Video before its introduction of ads,” Deadline continued. “That was followed in the past few months by the announcement that the third and final season of BOSCH: LEGACY would be shared across Freevee and Prime Video, with Freevee’s latest new scripted series, THE PRADEEPS OF PITTSBURGH, also recently debuting on both platforms. Shows like JUDY JUSTICE, TRIBUNAL JUSTICE and HOLLYWOOD HOUSELIFT WITH JEFF LEWIS also were made available on Prime Video, while the Freevee live FAST channels were rebranded as Amazon Prime Video Channels on Fire TV.”
All upcoming pitch meetings for Freevee shows have been canceled.
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