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Amazon’s free streaming service is now called Freevee

IMDb TV is getting a new name, and a commitment to carry a lot more original shows and movies.

Freevee logo

Freevee is set to launch in Germany later this year.

Image: Amazon

IMDb TV has a new name: Amazon is rebranding its free, ad-supported streaming service as Freevee, and is getting ready for further international expansion. Freevee is set to launch in Germany later this year, Deadline reported Wednesday.

Like the rest of the ad-supported video industry, IMDb TV has seen some significant growth during the pandemic. The service’s monthly active users tripled over the past two years, according to Deadline. Amazon now wants to further accelerate this growth with more content investments, with plans to grow Freevee’s number of originals by 70% this year.

The rebranding itself is not much of a surprise: There have been multiple reports about Amazon’s intention to give the service a more memorable (and perhaps easier to capitalize) name as a part of its broader advertising push over the past several months.

Freevee is also not Amazon’s first attempt at finding a brand that conveys the message that people don’t have to pay to watch. IMDb TV originally launched as Freedive back in 2019. Maybe third time’s a charm?

Janko Roettgers

Janko Roettgers (Twitter, Mastodon) used to be a senior reporter at Protocol, reporting on the shifting power dynamics between tech, media, and entertainment, including the impact of new technologies. Previously, Janko was Variety's first-ever technology writer in San Francisco, where he covered big tech and emerging technologies. He has reported for Gigaom, Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Zeitung, and ORF, among others. He has written three books on consumer cord-cutting and online music and co-edited an anthology on internet subcultures. He lives with his family in Oakland.

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