Amazon Rebrands IMDb Freedive as IMDb TV, Triples Content

Back in January, Amazon launched its free video streaming service called IMDb Freedive. This week it got rebranded and a lot more content promised to entice you to go watch.

Unlike Prime Video, IMDb Freedive supports itself through ads, which Amazon hopes you'll watch scattered amongst the 130+ movies and 29 TV shows offered through the service already. Clearly we are watching them because Amazon has today announced a major expansion of the content being offered and a new name for the service, which is now called IMDb TV.

In the coming months thousands of new titles are expected to appear on IMDb TV thanks to new deals being signed with Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, and MGM Studios. New content highlights include Captain Fantastic, La La Land, Sense and Sensibility, Draft Day, and A Knight's Tale, with more to follow.

Watching IMDb TV is possible directly on the IMDb website, through the Prime Video app, or using Amazon's Fire TV devices ($42.99 at Best Buy) . The service is currently limited to the US, but Amazon has now confirmed an expansion into Europe is planned before the end of 2019. Whether that will offer the same range of content depends on the licensing deals Amazon signed with the studios, but it seems likely.

As I said back in January, IMDb TV allows Amazon to offer a free streaming service which is clearly separate from the premium Prime Video service. At the same time, it can use IMDb TV to entice viewers over to Prime Video and grow the number of Amazon Prime subscribers. Adding more content just gives Amazon more opportunities to achieve that through advertising.

Amazon to end its social network, Amazon Spark