In a move that quelled whispers and reassured users, Amazon officially denied rumors of shutting down its free ad-supported streaming service Freevee.
This announcement comes after the January 29 introduction of an ad-supported tier for Prime Video, sparking rumors about Freevee's fate.
Some users welcomed the Prime Video's cost-effective option, while many expressed dissatisfaction about ads intruding on their paid subscription.
@primevideouk@ajassy I urge you, again, to immediately change tact and reinstate Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and remove ads from Prime Video. If Amazon wants to introduce ads you should introduce an ad subsidised tier and not penalise current subscribers with your cynical actions
— Woogy (@TheSchlossAdler) February 15, 2024
This controversy fueled speculation about a potential overlap between the two services and Freevee's future, raising concerns about redundancy, with both platforms now featuring ads.
However, Amazon has firmly dismissed these rumors in an email sent to news outlets Wednesday.
“There are no changes to Freevee,” the email read. “Amazon Freevee remains an important streaming offering providing both Prime and non-Prime customers thousands of hit movies, shows, and originals, all for free.”
Freevee claims to only air half of the volume of ads seen on linear TV. A recent X post of famous American author Stephen King complaining about the ads on Freevee has users rallying behind the free streaming platform.
1) I hate commercials too
— Sean Chandler (@kirkneverdied) February 16, 2024
2) Stephen K doesn’t own Texas Chainsaw Massacre?
3) FreeVee provides a way for more people to be able to watch more movies
4) FreeVee didn’t originate ads running during movies. Has he never watched a movie on TV?
5) SK can’t afford to rent a movie? https://t.co/BrVtvC8SSH
Freevee, which was originally launched in 2019 as IMDb Freedive, offers popular TV shows and classics like “Mad Men,” “Alias,” “Fringe,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” and “Desperate Housewives.”
Notably, Freevee original reality-comedy series “Jury Duty” was nominated at last year’s Emmy and this year’s Golden Globes.
While the long-term role of Freevee within Amazon's broader streaming strategy remains to be seen, its immediate closure seems to be off the table.
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