Amazon Freevee, the ad-supported streaming service that brought audiences popular originals like Bosch: Legacy, Jury Duty, and Judy Justice, will officially be phased out over the coming weeks. Content from Freevee has already migrated to Prime Video and will remain accessible there, including shows like Neighbours, Tribunal Justice , and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation, all available in front of the paywall for non-Prime members. The change is going to be implemented across Freevee’s available territories: the U.S., UK, Germany, and Austria. Instead of separate Freevee branding, shows that were once exclusive to Freevee will be marked as “Watch for Free” on their Prime Video detail pages, consolidating Amazon’s streaming offerings into one cohesive platform.
The move is the latest from Amazon as they bid to turn Prime Video into a one stop destination for both Prime subscribers and non-members too, as it will offer ad-supported content without viewers having to be locked down with any commitments. A spokesperson for Amazon confirmed the change, saying:
“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.”
Why Amazon Folding Freevee into Prime Isn’t a Shock
The decision to fold Freevee into Prime Video isn’t entirely surprising. Speculation started after Amazon announced ads would debut on Prime Video starting January 29, 2024, essentially eliminating the main distinction between Freevee’s ad-supported model and Prime’s subscription content. In recent times, too, Freevee had seen a gradual migration of its original shows to Prime Video, with recent debuts like The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh and American Rust: Broken Justice launching on both platforms. Shows like Judy Justice and Tribunal Justice have also been available on Prime, alongside Freevee’s live FAST Channels, now branded as Amazon Prime Video Channels on Fire TV.
The service does retain a notable legacy, though. It was originally launched by IMDb in 2019 as Freedive (later IMDb TV), before rebranding as Freevee and was a standout in the market of ad-supported streaming. Its peak came when Jury Duty, a standout Freevee original, even earned four Emmy nominations, giving it a huge amount of credibility. For Freevee fans, the good news is that shows and movies will still be available to stream for free on Prime Video, so no harm done there, and thank goodness for that — we need to see how Bosch ends.
via Collider