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   Since Dave just mentioned Freevee and I was thinking of checking it out...   
      
   Amazon Freevee is being shut down, and it's all thanks to Prime Video's   
   increasingly popular ad-supported tier   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 13 Nov 2024 13:09:45 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Amazon is shutting down its free streaming service as it directs   
   non-subscribers to Prime Video.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Amazon Freevee is officially being shut down as the company looks to simplify   
   its streaming offerings by making Prime Video a one-stop shop, according to   
   Deadline .    
      
   The free streaming service will be phased out over the coming weeks in the    
   US, UK, Germany and Austria, but you'll still be able to find Amazon Freevee   
   content on Prime Video, including flagship series like Jury Duty, Bosch:   
   Legacy and Judy Justice. These titles will be identifiable by the label    
   'Watch for Free' in the Prime Video app.    
      
   Amazon had already begun shifting Freevee Originals to Prime Video way before   
   it introduced ads earlier this year and had given us more signs of the   
   upcoming shift when it announced that the third and final season of Bosch:   
   Legacy would be shared across Freevee and Prime Video in September. Opinion:   
   It was inevitable that Amazon would shutter its free streaming service    
      
   Despite being one of the best free streaming services , there has been talk    
   of Amazon Freevee closing ever since the launch of an ad-supported tier on   
   Prime Video at the end of January earlier this year, which many considered at   
   the time wasn't necessary.    
      
    Amazon denied rumors of Freevee closing at the time, but a lot of us were   
   unconvinced, mainly because the introduction of an ad-supported plan meant   
   there was no real point of difference between Prime Video and its free   
   streaming offering. After all, the overlap between content meant you didn't   
   have to leave Prime Video to find Freevee titles.    
      
   The rollout of the ad-tier had been viewed as controversial as many   
   subscribers had been frustrated at the fact that Prime Video was inserting    
   ads unless you paid more  essentially forcing you to spend an extra $2.99 in   
   the US and 2.99 in the UK if you wanted to go ad-free.   
      
   But it turns out that the new ad-tier didn't dent subscriber numbers as much   
   as people initially thought it would. In fact, because people didn't complain   
   enough, Prime Video is expected to be filled with even more ads in 2025, with   
   plans to introduce three new types of adverts to the service, including   
   carousel ads, pause ads and trivia ads  and your Fire TV will not be spared .    
      
   Amazon has since doubled down on its advertising efforts, following the   
   successful launch of its new plan  UK ratings body Barb found that 86% of   
   homes are now signed up to its ad-tier  and we can only expect more growth to   
   occur as Amazon Freevee users migrate to Prime Video.    
      
   Amazon Freevee had been voted as the best free streaming service by readers    
   at the TechRadar Choice Awards 2024 , so it's likely to see a bump in    
   activity in upcoming months. As the new home for Amazon Freevee content,   
   including  select Amazon MGM Studios Originals, licensed movies and series   
   alongside over 450 FAST channels in the US, Prime Video has even more reasons   
   why it's the best streaming service for movies.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-prime-video/amazon-freevee-is-being   
   -shut-down-and-its-all-thanks-to-prime-videos-increasingly-popular-ad-supporte   
   d-tier   
      
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