Comes a 70% rise in the number of original series and films
Want to watch free television? It’s possible to do so with the help of Freevee. IMDb TV, one of the top free streaming services, will be renamed Amazon Freevee on April 27. With this approach, the production of original series and films is expected to rise by 70%.
The name “Freevee” isn’t really original. Let’s be honest: It’s ridiculous. That said, it makes sense and is clear from the start what you’re getting: free TV. Compared to the clumsy IMDb TV moniker, this is an improvement.
As IMDb Freedive, the ad-supported streaming service began in January 2019 before changing its name to IMDb TV later that year. It was initially exclusively accessible in the United States, but it has since spread to the United Kingdom and will be available in Germany by the end of 2022.
Monthly active users have more than tripled in the last several years, according to Amazon’s claims about IMDb TV. For all its ad-supported video content including IMDb TV, Twitch, sports and other channels, it recorded 120 million monthly active users in May last year across all of these channels.
Pluto, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Crackle, and Peacock are just a few of the many free ad-supported streaming services now available. HBO Max already offers a lower-priced ad-supported tier, and Disney Plus plans to do the same. Subscription providers are also going into AVOD.
IMDb TV, like other free streaming services, relied on licenced library material of historic television series and movies when it first launched. It was only until the streaming service started producing its own original content that it saw a surge in popularity. As a result, Amazon expects Freevee to produce even more unique content going forwards.
“We’re pleased to establish Freevee as the preeminent AVOD service with content consumers demand,” said Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke. “We’re looking forwards to building on this momentum with a growing slate of imaginative and widely appealing originals.”
“Our new name accurately expresses who we are: an easy-to-navigate streaming service, accessible to consumers for free, anytime and whenever they want to view some of the finest original and licenced content available.”
Amazon Freevee will include all original works.
Judge Judy Sheindlin’s new courtroom series Judy Justice is only one of the originals produced by the service previously known as IMDb TV. Leverage: Redemption, a reboot of TNT’s criminal drama, is another important title. Other originals include Alex Rider, Pretty Hard Cases, and Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, a music docuseries about country music star Luke Bryan.
This year, Freevee plans to boost its original programming by 70%. The romantic comedy Love Accidentally, starring Brenda Song and Aaron O’Connell, was just ordered by the service. The following are some notable forthcoming projects:
- Bosch: Legacy, a spinoff of the Prime Video series
- Sprung, a comedy from Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl)
- Dick Wolf’s half-hour procedural drama On Call
- Home design series Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis
- High School, a scripted adaptation by Clea DuVall of the memoir by musicians Sara and Tegan Quin
- Primo, a coming-of-age comedy from Michael Schur and Shea Serrano
To be unveiled on May 2 during the Freevee NewFronts event are more fresh originals.
Freevee users, of course, get access to a wide variety of library material. In addition to Mad Men, Lost, Fifty Shades of Grey and The Princess Bride are some of the most popular current television shows.