IMDb TV, Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service, is branching out globally with its first international launch in the U.K.
According to Variety, the service is reaching the country with a combination of originals and licensed content, and will initially be available within Amazon Prime Video before eventually getting its own Fire TV app.
Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming at IMDb TV, told the publication that IMDb TV will compete with other free U.K. streaming services like BBC iPlayer and Channel 4’s All4 by providing “premium original series.” They also warned that there may be some overlap with licensed content on Amazon Prime Video in the U.K.
“The same way we launched in the U.S. with Prime Video or IMDb TV, it’s a small ‘getting started’ selection so we can learn from customers,” Pirozzi said, adding that there will be a smaller volume of content than that offered by Prime Video but that the service is aimed at customers who don’t want to subscribe to Prime but don’t mind watching ads.
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IMDb TV has become a significant part of Amazon’s advertising strategy. In February, the company said it had expanded its reach to more than 55 million monthly active viewers of ad-supported OTT content, up from about 20 million at the same time in 2020 and the 40 million it reported in July during FierceVideo’s OTT Blitz Week. That audience reach figure includes IMDb TV along with network and broadcaster apps like Discovery, CW, CNNGo, and CBS, which are powered by Amazon Publisher Services, as well as its own curated News app.
IMDb TV has benefitted from recent content licensing deals alongside Amazon Prime Video. Last month, Amazon and Comcast/NBCUniversal announced a new pay-one window rights deal for Universal Pictures films and, as part of that deal IMDb TV got network-window rights for Universal’s 2020-2021 films and access to some Universal animated films. That includes movies like “F9” and “Sing 2,” all with full exclusivity across AVOD, SVOD and FVOD (free video on-demand) during the license period.