[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

THEY SAY THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE. BUT THAT’S NOT THE CASE FOR FREEVEE — AMAZON’S STREAMING SERVICE.

THE FREE AD-SUPPORTED STREAMING TELEVISION SERVICE – OR “FAST” FOR SHORT –

IS ABOUT TO JOIN THE LIKES OF OTHER ILL-FATED STREAMERS LIKE CNN PLUS AND QUIBI (KWI-BEE).

AMAZON IS SHUTTING DOWN THE SERVICE AND SHIFTING ITS CONTENT UNDER ITS PRIME VIDEO PLATFORM – WHICH STARTED SHOWING ADS BY DEFAULT IN JANUARY.

FREEVEE ORIGINALLY LAUNCHED IN 20-19 UNDER THE IMDB BRAND – SWITCHING FROM BEING CALLED FREEDIVE TO IMDBTV A FEW MONTHS LATER.

IN 2022 – THE SERVICE WAS RENAMED ONCE AGAIN – THIS TIME TO FREEVEE.

AT THAT TIME – AMAZON SAID FREEVEE’S MONTHLY USER BASE HAD TRIPLED FROM 2020 — TO 65 MILLION PEOPLE.

ALONG WITH STREAMING HUNDREDS OF LIVE FAST CHANNELS –

FREEVEE DID HAVE ITS SHARE OF ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING  —

INCLUDING THE EMMY-NOMINATED REALITY COMEDY “JURY DUTY.”

“Plaintiff’s going to make a closing statement…feels like reality TV.”

IN A STATEMENT TO DEADLINE – AN AMAZON SPOKESPERSON SAID – “To deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers, we have decided to phase out Freevee branding. There will be no change to the content available for Prime members, and a vast offering of free streaming content will still be accessible for non-Prime members.”

FREEVEE IS LEAVING A GROWING DIVISION OF THE STREAMING INDUSTRY KNOWN AS FAST PLATFORMS – WHICH INCLUDE FOX’S TUBI, PARAMOUNT’S PLUTO TV, AND THE ROKU CHANNEL.

ACCORDING TO NIELSEN RATINGS FROM EARLIER THIS YEAR, THOSE THREE FAST PLATFORMS ALONE ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY 4 PERCENT OF TOTAL TV USE.

AND THE COMPANY — DIGITAL TV RESEARCH —  FORECASTS GLOBAL FAST REVENUE WILL REACH 17 BILLION DOLLARS IN 2029, UP FROM 8 BILLION LAST YEAR.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI.

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