 Logo used from 2022 | |
| Formerly |
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|---|---|
| Available in | English, German |
| Founded | January 11, 2019; 6 years ago (2019-01-11) |
| Area served | United States United Kingdom Germany Austria |
| Parent | Amazon |
| URL | www |
| Current status | Inactive |
Amazon Freevee (stylized asfreevee andfv, also shortened asFreevee, formerly known asIMDb Freedive andIMDb TV, and sometimes spelledFV) is an Americanad-supportedvideo-on-demand (VOD) streaming service owned byAmazon, with original and licensed programming.
Freevee content is presented toAmazon Prime Video users within Prime'ssmart TV app interface. Aside from the commercial breaks and the absence of Prime's "X-ray" cast list information, its interface, features, and navigation were identical to the Primeuser experience. Freevee also functioned as a standalone app for use by non-Prime users.
Amazon Freevee was launched as a free, ad-supported video channel by the Amazon-owned online databaseIMDb in January 2019, under the nameIMDb Freedive. It becameIMDb TV five months later and it was rebranded to Amazon Freevee on April 28, 2022.[1]
The service is available in the United States, as well as the UK and Germany through Amazon, IMDb's websites, and allAmazon Fire devices.[2][3]
On June 17, 2019, IMDb Freedive announced its rebranding to IMDb TV. Signing new deals withWarner Bros.,Sony Pictures Entertainment andMGM Studios (which parent company Amazon later acquired on March 17, 2022),[4] the streaming service began offering new content.[5] Amazon announced that it would be moving IMDb TV's content team toAmazon Studios on February 20, 2020—with the goal of developing original programming under new IMDb TV co-heads.[6]
On April 13, 2022, it was announced that the service would be rebranded as Amazon Freevee beginning on April 27.[7] It was also announced that it would launch in Germany later that year, and would expand its original programming by 70% in 2022.[8] The rebrand occurred on April 28, 2022. Its first announced moves post-rebrand included renewingBosch: Legacy pre-premiere as well asTop Class, orderingAmerica's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation and a new series adaptation ofBlack Beauty and expandingPlay-Doh: Squished beyond its holiday special.[9]
On August 3, 2022, Amazon Freevee was launched in Germany.[10]
On February 21, 2024, it was reported that Amazon was planning to shut down Freevee in order to focus onPrime Video.[11] This was denied by the company.[12] Subsequently, in November 2024, Amazon announced plans to discontinue Freevee over the coming weeks; Freevee content would become available within the Prime Video app and remain free-of-charge with no subscription required.[13] However, as of March 2025[update], the app is still available and functioning.[citation needed]
In 2020, a revival of the 2008 crime drama seriesLeverage was ordered by IMDb TV, making it the first major exclusive series for the streaming service.[14]
On October 3, 2019, IMDb TV announced it licensed the Canadian animated seriesCorner Gas Animated as a branded original series, joining the live-action comedy franchiseCorner Gas and the feature filmCorner Gas: The Movie, which were both on the streaming platform.[15]
IMDb TV acquired the rights to Eleventh Hour Films andSony Pictures Television's young-adult espionage seriesAlex Rider, premiering a series adaptation on November 13, 2020.[16]
On October 29, 2020, Amazon Studios announced that it would premiere a newcourt show on IMDb TV starringJudith Sheindlin, serving as a spiritual successor to hersyndicatedJudge Judy (which was scheduled to conclude in 2021 after 25 seasons, amid disputes between Sheindlin and its distributorCBS Media Ventures).[17][18] The new series—Judy Justice—would premiere on November 1, 2021, with an initial order of 120 episodes for its first season.[19] In March 2022, Amazon renewedJudy Justice for a second season; the first season had recorded over 25 million hours of viewership, making it IMDb TV's most-watched original series.[20] In 2023, the service premiered a spin-off series executive-produced by Sheindlin,Tribunal Justice.[21][22]
On February 22, 2021, it was announced thatNorman Lear had set up two projects at IMDb TV, half-hour long comedyClean Slate and hour-long dramaLoteria.[23]
On April 13, 2022, it was announced that a spinoff of the Prime Video seriesBosch, titledBosch: Legacy, would premiere on the service on May 6, 2022, and that the coming-of-age seriesHigh School, based on thememoir byTegan and Sara and adapted byClea DuVall, would premiere in 2022. It was also announced that the service would add original films to its slate, beginning with the romantic comedyLove Accidentally, starringBrenda Song andAaron O'Connell.[8]
IMDb TV announced it would begin streaming theNBC dramaChicago Fire on December 6, 2019, making the deal the biggest single licensing pact to date for the streaming service. In addition, IMDb TV announced it would also begin streaming all five seasons ofUniversal Television'sFriday Night Lights starting on December 31, 2019.[24]
In February 2020, IMDb TV acquired the rights to more than twenty scripted TV titles controlled byWalt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International division and began streaming severalStar Trek films in June and July 2020. Starting July 15, 2020, IMDb TV began streaming all 92 episodes of theAMC seriesMad Men after completing a licensing deal withLionsgate.[25][26]
In January 2021, the service acquiredDean Devlin's formerWGN America seriesAlmost Paradise; Amazon Freevee would later order a second season of the series, which premiered on July 21, 2023.[27][28]
In July 2021, Amazon andUniversal Pictures reached a multi-year deal to bring Universal's films to IMDb TV. As part of the deal, titles from Universal's library would become available, making films includingThe Invisible Man eligible to stream on IMDb TV for free. Most of the studio's titles would be also available ad-free onPrime Video, including future theatrical releases following their first pay window and four months after being released onPeacock.[29]
On November 3, 2021, IMDb TV UK began streaming content fromFilmRise, MovieSphere, MagellanTV and SPI's Docustream, along with program-themed channels based on showsDeadly Women,Are We There Yet?,Bridezillas,Unsolved Mysteries,This Old House,MythBusters, andHell's Kitchen.[30]
In November 2022, Amazon Freevee announced that it had ordered a revival of the long-running Australian soap operaNeighbours, which had originally been cancelled after being dropped by the UK'sChannel 5. Freevee would be able to stream new episodes in the United Kingdom and United States, along with archive episodes.Network 10 would remain the first-run broadcaster of the series.[31][32]
In May 2023, Amazon announced it would make over 100 Amazon Original series and films fromAmazon Prime Video available on Freevee. Some shows would also be available in full, while others would only have a selection of episodes.[33]
UK originals are not included on the launch slate but the AVOD streamer has been expanding rapidly, with the aforementioned US commissions joining series including Leverage: Redemption, a Bosch spinoff, the second season of Alex Rider and comedy series Sprung.
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