Amazon announced its free streaming service IMDb TV will be renamed Amazon Freevee. The new name will take effect on April 27, the company said in a news release. Moreover, Amazon mentioned the streaming service will expand its original programming by 70% in 2022, with spinoffs of shows such as “Bosh: Legacy,” new series and more original movies.
IMDb TV, part of the Amazon-owned movie and TV database IMDb, is an ad-supported library of TV shows, movies and channels. It launched under the name Freedive in 2019. The streaming service has grown rapidly over the past two years, tripling its monthly active users, Amazon said in the press release.
“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 advertising-based video on demand service with content audiences crave,” commented Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios.
The announcement comes as the retail giant embraces a path to boost its streaming services. Last month, the company closed a US$8.5 billion deal to acquire Hollywood studio MGM, making it Amazon’s second-largest acquisition following its US$13.7 billion deal with Whole Foods in 2017.