Fans left devastated as Amazon streaming service shuts for good

Amazon is to shut its free, ad-supported streaming service.

Freevee – home to originals like Jury Duty, Bosch: Legacy, and Judy Justice – will shut within weeks. 

But fans can still watch the shows. Amazon is making the move so that all its content is under the Prime Video brand. 

The change means all Freevee shows, which also include including Tribunal Justice and Neighbours, will be available to watch on Prime Video.

The good news is they will be free to watch even for non-Prime members, under the ‘Watch for Free’ section. 

Streaming platforms are finding more ways to reduce expenses, and Amazon’s decision to phase out Freevee achieves this on multiple fronts. 

By retiring the Freevee brand, Amazon can cut down on marketing costs and avoid the ongoing expenses of supporting a separate app across various smart TVs and streaming devices. 

This streamlining allows Amazon to focus resources on its core Prime Video platform, making it easier to manage and promote content on a single destination. 

The transition will roll out in Freevee’s current territories – the US, UK, Germany, and Austria – over the coming weeks. 

Amazon assures that no job cuts are anticipated, as the Freevee team had already been integrated with Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video’s business group.

It is all about doubling down on Prime Video’s role as a platform that caters to both Prime members and non-members –  creating a one-stop destination for both ad-supported and subscription-based viewing.

Unlike a standard streaming service, Prime Video provides a range of of other content types, from movies for rent or purchase to a variety of free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. 

Non-subscribers also have access to popular Prime Originals, with options to watch select seasons or episodes, including hits like The Summer I Turned Pretty, the first three episodes of The Boys, and the first episode of Fallout – all without needing a subscription.

Speculation over Freevee’s future began late last year when Amazon announced the introduction of ads on Prime Video starting January 2024, blurring the lines between Prime Video’s subscription-based service and Freevee’s ad-supported model. 

Freevee’s origins trace back to 2019, initially launched by IMDb as Freedive before being rebranded to IMDb TV, and eventually to Freevee. 

With a lineup that included scripted hits like Jury Duty, which earned four Emmy nominations, and Bosch: Legacy, the platform was successful, reportedly amassing a user base that tripled to 65 million between 2020 and 2022. 

The gradual shift of Freevee content to Prime Video began earlier this year with series like American Rust: Broken Justice and On Call moving to the platform. 

Bosch: Legacy’s third season will also share streaming across both Freevee and Prime Video. 

For Amazon, this consolidation bolsters Prime Video’s hybrid model, creating a one-stop destination for both ad-supported and subscription-based viewing. 

Amazon first introduced adverts at the end of January this year, with the commercials shown at the beginning, middle, and end of each programme or movie. Pictured: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Freevee is shutting down within weeks

Freevee shows, which also include including Tribunal Justice and Neighbours, will be available to watch on Prime Video

Meanwhile, streaming services are increasingly cracking down on password sharing.

Max is the latest – following on from Netflix and Disney +.

But the streamer behind House of Dragon and The Penguin will start with a gentler approach that its rivals.

Those two streamers are much stricter. They are monitoring where users watch shows – and will cut them off if it is regularly from different addresses. 

Gunnar Wiedenfels, finance chief of parent company Warner Bros Discovery,  said in an earnings call that Max would start its crackdown with ‘very soft messaging’.

It will be  encouraging members who share accounts with other households to ‘pay a little bit more.’

This softly, softly approach will be used over the next few months. After that, the company will take more extreme action – such as limiting access to users within a single household.

Meanwhile, last month it emerged that Amazon is about to roll out even MORE ads on Prime Video – and users who don’t want them will have to pay extra each month