November 13, 2024, 10:20 am | Read time: 2 minutes
It is a decision that is likely to surprise many. Just a few years after its launch, Amazon will discontinue one of its streaming services.
In the summer of 2022, Amazon launched the ad-financed streaming service Freevee in Germany. It had previously been available under a different name in the USA and the UK. Since then, Freevee has been offered alongside Amazon Prime Video. The special feature: Access and, therefore, use were completely free of charge. The service was financed by advertisements within films and series. However, Amazon has now announced that it is discontinuing Freevee.
Freevee will be discontinued at the turn of the year
The service is expected to end at the turn of the year. Until then, users will still be able to access the service as usual. Freevee previously offered some content that was not available on Amazon Prime Video. This includes, for example, the series Jury Duty and Bosch: Legacy. However, these will not disappear; they will be transferred to the other streaming service. Prime Video now also displays advertising if customers have not booked an additional subscription for 2.99 euros per month. Running an additional, ad-financed service in parallel, therefore, makes little sense for Amazon.
In the future, the provider will, therefore, bundle all its streaming content into one service and focus entirely on Prime Video. The company wants to offer customers a simple viewing experience and has therefore decided to “phase out the Freevee branding,” an Amazon spokesperson told the portal Variety.
Shortly before a new season World’s most expensive series free for some users – but there’s a catch
Streaming subscription only Popular RTL show flies out of free TV
Top-class content Previously exclusive streaming films could soon be shown on free TV
What will happen to the content?
“For Prime members, there will be no changes to the content available, and non-Prime members will continue to have access to a wide selection of free streaming content, including select original productions from Amazon MGM Studios, a wide selection of licensed movies and series, and an extensive library of FAST channels – all available on Prime Video,” Amazon said.
Free, ad-financed content can be recognized by the “Watch for Free” label after the changeover. Amazon has already begun transferring the first series and films from Freevee to Prime Video. This means that nothing will change for customers, apart from where they can find the content.