IMDb TV Rebranded as Amazon Freevee (Yes, Really)
Image Credit: Freevee
Author: Lesley Goldberg Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Amazon-backed IMDb TV is being rebranded.
The ad-supported streamer will be known as Amazon Freevee beginning April 27. The platform’s new name helps to better reflect the cost of its service and better distinguish it from the IMDb website.
“Over the past two years, we have seen tremendous growth for our AVOD service and are committed to bringing our audiences premium, free-to-consumer content,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “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 AVOD service with content audiences crave.”
Freevee plans to grow its slate of originals by 70 percent this year, with projects in the works including Bosch: Legacy, Greg Garcia comedy Sprung and the Tegan and Sara coming of age series High School, as well as other unscripted and movies that will be revealed May 2 at its NewFronts presentation.
Freevee’s expansion into original movies has already begun with the order for Love Accidentally, starring Brenda Song and Aaron O’Connell.
“We have been delighted by the viewer response to our modern television network in a streaming landscape,” said Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming for Freevee. “With Freevee, our current and future viewers will discover a home that allows creative talent the freedom to tell impactful, entertaining, and inspiring stories; a service accessible to all and freed from time-slot restrictions and device availability; and a destination that provides customers with both new and familiar, escapist and engaging content — free of charge.”
Freevee’s scripted roster also includes cop drama Pretty Hard Cases, Leverage: Redemption, Alex Rider and the courtroom series Judy Justice. Also in the works are Mike Schur-Shea Serrano comedy Primo and half-hour procedural On Call from Dick Wolf.
In terms of other well-known rebrandings, Freevee isn’t as bad as Freeform (formerly ABC Family) and at least it doesn’t have another plus symbol in its name (see Paramount+, formerly CBS All Access).