Amazon’s free streaming service Freevee will close its doors in August, 18 months after the company was forced to deny a report speculating on Freevee’s demise.
- App will no longer be available from next month.
- All content has moved to Prime Video.
Streamers still using the Freevee app are being notified of the service’s closure in August. The message advises users that “Prime Video is the new exclusive home for Freevee shows, movies and live TV. The Freevee app will be accessible until August 2025. Continue watching your favourite free originals and our library of hit movies, shows, and live TV on Prime Video for free, no subscription needed.”
The move follows industry speculation dating back to August 2024, when US industry publication Adweek reported Amazon is considering closing down Freevee. The initial reports speculated that Freevee could be gone within weeks. Amazon fiercely denied the report. But by November, it admitted it was pulling the plug on Freevee.
Freevee, formerly known as IMDb TV, has operated as a free, ad-supported alternative to Prime Video in certain countries.
Since 2023, the service has become the home of Judge Judy successor Judy Justice and was the home of the short-lived Neighbours rival.
Internationally, the situation has been different. In Ireland and other countries where Freevee wasn’t rolled out, the same programmes have been distributed through Amazon’s main Prime Video platform.
Whereas Freevee was ad-supported, Prime Video has been ad-free. Not any more. Since Amazon made changes to Prime Video, both services are ad-supported. And both Freevee and Prime Video apps now host similar if not the same ad-supported programmes.
As a result, closing Freevee was somewhat of a no-brainer, removing unnecessary duplication in an already crowded streaming market.
By: Marc Thornham