Two years after its launch, Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service Freevee is shutting down, the company confirmed this week.
Shows that play on the app will be available for free on Amazon’s Prime Video service even if a viewer does not pay for a subscription.
“To deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers, we have decided to phase out Freevee branding,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”
Amazon will not lay off any employees due to the change, the company said. Freevee executives are expected to be integrated elsewhere in the company and MGM Studios content teams who had worked on Freevee originals will transition to work on programming for Prime Video.
While Amazon is doing away with Freevee, the model of free ad-supported streaming services remains promising as consumers look to limit discretionary spending, experts said.
The company did not specify when Freevee services will be fully phased out, but said the “Watch for Free” feature will be available on Prime Video detail pages in the coming weeks.
