Amazon has rebranded iMDb TV to Freevee, with the new name taking effect April 27.

The free advertising-supported video on demand (AVOD) service offers consumers more than 60 free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) channels. Freevee has already been launched in the UK and will debut in Germany later this year.

The service plans to grow its slate of original series and movies by 70% in 2022, it said. That includes the spinoff of Prime Video’s longest-running original series, Bosch. Bosch: Legacy premieres May 6 with four episodes and adds two episodes every Friday through May 27.

Starting April 22, all seven seasons of Bosch will be available to watch on Amazon Freevee, and a Bosch FAST channel also will launch that day.

“With meaningful storytelling and distinctive characters, Bosch: Legacy is the ideal first original to debut under our new brand,” said Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming for Freevee, in a statement.

Freevee also is premiering new home-design series, Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis, Greg Garcia’s comedy series Sprung; Australian crime drama Troppo; and High School, a scripted series adapted for television by Clea DuVall, produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B, and based on the New York Times best-selling memoir by recording artists Tegan and Sara Quin. Amazon’s free streaming service will announce additional greenlights at its NewFronts presentation on May 2.

“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, also in a statement.

The service also is adding exclusive original movies, starting with workplace rom-com, Love Accidentally, starring Brenda Song and Aaron O’Connell.

Amazon Freevee airs such originals as buddy-cop drama Pretty Hard Cases, with a second season dropping April 22; heist drama Leverage: Redemption; spy thriller Alex Rider; and Judy Justice, a daily court show helmed by Judge Judy Sheindlin that has been renewed for a second season.

Coming soon are Primo, a coming-of-age comedy from Michael Schur (Parks & Recreation, The Office, Brooklyn Nine Nine, The Good Place) and Shea Serrano, and On Call, a half-hour procedural from Dick Wolf. It also has secured an exclusive network window for films from Universal Filmed Entertainment Group’s 2020-21 theatrical slate, including Dolittle, The Invisible Man, Promising Young Woman, F9 and Sing 2.

Tags: amazon studios avod bosch fast freevee imdb tv prime video


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