Amazon is planning to sunset Freevee, its free ad-supported video streaming service.
via: TV Line
Prime Video‘s decision to embrace commercials appears to have cost Freevee dearly.
According to AdWeek, Amazon is planning to shutter its free, ad-supported offshoot Freevee — home to last year’s breakout hit Jury Duty — “in weeks.”
The news comes just weeks after Prime Video launched its own ad-supported tier.
AdWeek speculates that Freevee could shut down as early as April.
As one source tells the trade: “If the question is whether or not Amazon will persist with two stand-alone streaming services, I’m certain the answer is no.”
TVLine has reached out to Amazon for comment.
Several of Freevee’s original series — including Leverage: Redemption and American Rust — have already been proactively moved to Prime Video for their coming seasons. More Freevee originals, such as Bosch: Legacy, are expected to follow suit.
Prime Video foray into commercials began on Jan. 29.
“This change will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time,” the streamer said in a message to subscribers at the time, adding: “We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”
