Amazon will shut down streaming service in UK, but it’s not all bad news for Fire TV Stick and Roku viewers
Amazon will shutter its free ad-supported streamer Freevee in the coming weeks.
The service was designed to rival a growing number of popular free ad-supported streaming television — or FAST — services, like the immensely-popular Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Fawesome, to name a few.
Freevee, which offered free access to 3,000 movies and 450 shows at its peak, had several hits, including the documentary-style comedy series Jury Duty, rebooted series of much-loved soap Neighbours, and police procedural Bosch: Legacy based on the books by Michael Connelly.
It also offered free access to original series developed for Amazon’s other (and better known) streaming service, Prime Video, for anyone willing to put-up with ad breaks in shows like Reacher and The Wheel of Time.
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The shutdown only impacts viewers in the UK, United States, Germany, and Austria, where Freevee has been available as a standalone service. Amazon says the decision to shutter the streamer is designed to create a simpler viewing experience for its customers.
For those still watching Jury Duty, Neighbours, or Bosch: Legacy …there’s no need to panic. The catalogue of shows and films that were included with Freevee will not be going away, even though the service itself will vanish.
Instead, all Freevee content will be integrated into Prime Video. Amazon confirmed that non-Prime members will still be able to access the same content, which will be clearly labelled as “Watch for Free” on the Prime Video platform. This wil offer an identical ad-supported experience to Freevee, albeit within the Prime Video app.
Like Freevee, Prime Video is available on a wide range of popular platforms, including Smart TVs from the likes of Samsung, Hisense, LG, and Sony, streaming set-top boxes like Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, PlayStation and Xbox games consoles, iPhone and iPad, Android smartphones and tablets, and of course, any desktop web browser on Windows or macOS. The app is a free download.
Signing into the app with an Amazon account with a valid Prime subscription will unlock everything in the catalogue, while those without a subscription will be limited to the free ad-supported content that used to be limited to the Freevee app.
Freevee was originally launched in January 2019 as IMDb Freedive with critically-acclaimed shows like Heroes and movies like Memento. It was hastily rebranded as IMDb TV later that same year. The service underwent its final name change to Freevee in 2022, establishing itself as Amazon’s dedicated ad-supported streaming platform.
Those willing to endure adverts to stream for free could watch shows via Freevee, while those who paid £8.99 per month or £95 per year for Amazon Prime membership could stream exclusive shows and films via Prime Video.
Earlier this year, Amazon introduced ad breaks to Prime Video, with subscribers now having to pay an additional £2.99 monthly fee to avoid advertisements — a decision that sparked such fury that some subscribers sued Amazon. The introduction of adverts muddies the waters between Freevee and Prime Video, something that likely fed into the decision by executives at the Seattle-based retailer to combine its streamers.
Speaking exclusively to Deadline, a spokesperson for Amazon confirmed: “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.
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“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.”
Amazon has stated that no redundancies are expected as a result of the shake-up to its streaming division, with the relevant teams having already been incorporated into Prime Video. The service’s content team had already been integrated into Amazon MGM Studios as part of a previous restructuring effort.
Amazon previously denied reports that it would shut down Freevee, with rumours first circulating in February 2024. The phase-out will take place over several weeks, though Amazon has not specified an exact end date.