IMDb TV Streaming Service Rebrands With New Amazon-Adjacent Name

IMDb TV is rebranding. The ad-supported streaming service will now be called Amazon Freevee, bringing it closer to its parent company than ever. According to a report by Deadline, this is meant to identify the service more strongly with the global recognition of Amazon.

IMDb TV has seen a surge in popularity in recent years – as have other streaming services that show ads instead of requiring a membership and a subscription. Now, it will be getting a brand new name starting on Wednesday, April 27. The service will now go by Amazon Freevee, and it will launch several new titles to go with its new name. Amazon reportedly plans to increase Freevee's slate of original programming by 70 percent by the end of 2022. Some of those projects have already been announced, and many tie into existing Amazon Prime Video originals that fans love.

After Freevee's rebranding on April 27, its next original premiere will be Bosch: Legacy on May 6. Other reported plans for the streamer include a home-design series called Hollywood Houselift starring Jeff Lewis, a comedy series starring Greg Garcia titled Sprung, an Australian crime drama called Troppo and a screen adaptation of Tegan and Sara's memoir titled High School. Freevee reportedly plans to give updates on these and other programs at an upfront presentation on May 2, along with several other big announcements.

This streamer has already been through quite a few changes in its short lifespan and developed a bit of an identity crisis along the way. It first launched in January of 2019 as Freedive, and was then renamed IMDb TV to take advantage of one of Amazon's most recognizable subsidiary brands. Over the last few years, it has been integrated with Prime Video in different ways depending on how you watch it. On some hardware and software, IMDb TV titles have been shown alongside the rest of the Prime Video catalog, so you don't need a specific app to watch the streaming service in some cases.

As Freevee, the service will continue this trend while expanding its programming and breaking into international markets. It will reportedly launch in Germany later this year and perhaps in other markets eventually. It is already available in the U.K.

Ad-supported streaming services have been growing rapidly in popularity over the last few years as more and more people drop their cable packages and rely on streaming alone for their entertainment. Amazon Studios' head Jennifer Salke told Deadline: "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. 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's co-heads of content and programming, Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi added: "We have been delighted by the viewer response to our modern television network in a streaming landscape. 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."

Amazon Freevee will launch on Wednesday, April 27. Until then, IMDb TV will be enjoying its last hurrah.