While Amazon already has a healthy video on demand service with its Prime Video offerings, this week it has expanded further to reach a whole new audience. Amazon’s IMDb subsidiary is taking the wraps off its new Freedive streaming service. Although ad-supported, it’s available for anyone to use for free. While inventory is admittedly somewhat thin at launch (more on that below), with Amazon’s backing, Freedive has the chance to be a very viable service for cordcutters. Hit the jump for additional details.
Amazon’s IMDb unveils new Freedive streaming service
Having Amazon’s muscle behind this project certainly makes its more intriguing. At launch, Freedive will feature 130 feature films and 29 shows, all of which are available to stream for free starting today. As reported by Variety, the initial lineup looks like this:
TV shows on IMDb Freedive include past seasons of “Fringe,” “Heroes,” “The Bachelor” (seasons 20 and 21), “Gilligan’s Island,” “Duck Dynasty,” “Quantum Leap,” “Born This Way,” “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Without a Trace.” Movies on the service include “Awakenings,” “A Few Good Men,” “Adaptation,” “Drive,” “Foxcatcher,” “Gattaca,” “Memento,” “Run Lola Run,” “The Illusionist,” “The Last Samurai,” “True Romance,” Patty Jenkins’ “Monster,” and Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.”
While that initial inventory of titles may not send you running, it’s the connections and licenses that Amazon has procured that make it more interesting. That includes relationships with NBCUniversal, CBS, Sony, Warner Brothers and many more. Of course, Amazon already has an existing stable of content via Prime Video which may eventually make its way over to this service in due time.
IMDb Freedive is a free service, but you’ll have to watch some ads along the way. In recent months YouTube began rolling out its own selection of free classics to watch, and of course, Sony’s in-house network Crackle did the same for years as well.
Freedive won’t shake up the cordcutting game, but it’s nice to have around
Ultimately, streaming services are still competing with the Hulus and Netflixes of the world. But having another feather in the cordcutting cap isn’t a bad thing. The good news here is the Freedive has substantial backing with Amazon and others in the fold. Even if it’s just a place for older movies to reside, having access to an expanded library of free content is never a bad thing.
Look for additional details to emerge about this service throughout 2019 as it gets its feet off the ground. At this time, there’s little information about which platforms will be supported but you can guess that Amazon’s line of Fire TVs are a shoo-in.
Source: Variety
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