Amazon is rebranding IMDb TV, its free ad-supported streaming service, as Amazon Freevee. The name change will take effect April 27.
The rebranded AVOD platform would help Amazon better reflect the service’s cost as well as distinguish it from the IMDb website, Hollywood Reporter wrote.
Amazon also announced today Freevee plans to increase its original content by 70% this year. Upcoming releases include “Bosch: Legacy,” the comedy series “Sprung” and “High School,” a scripted series based off a memoir with the same name. Aside from TV shows, Freevee is stepping into the original movies scene by producing the rom-com film “Love Accidentally."
“Over the past two years, we have seen tremendous growth for our AVOD service and are committed to bringing our audiences premium, free-to-consumer content,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, in a statement. “We’re looking forward to building on this momentum with an increasing slate of inventive and broadly appealing originals and are excited to establish Freevee as the premier AVOD service, which content audiences crave."
Amazon initially launched its AVOD service in 2019 as IMDb Freedive, before rebranding it to IMDb TV later that year. IMDb TV expanded last year by branching out to the U.K. and releasing its app for iOS and Android mobile devices.
Amazon has floated the possibility of a name change for at least the past year, according to The Information. Amazon executives believed the name IMDb TV too difficult for people to pronounce, the publication reported in November, and may detract new users from the platform.
The Freevee rebrand may prove advantageous for Amazon, as streaming services look to expand AVOD and FAST programming. A study by Tubi highlighted AVOD audiences grew 16% in 2021. YouTube also launched its first FAST channel in March.