Amazon (AMZN.US) Shuts Down Freevee Free Streaming Service Content Integration to Prime Video in August

Zhitongcaijing · 07/03 01:57

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Amazon (AMZN.US) announced that it will end its independent free streaming TV service next month and plans to integrate content into the Prime Video platform. This service, called FreeVee, was launched in 2019 based on IMDB (a film and television information website acquired by Amazon in 1998). It mainly provides free ad-supported video content through an application, including original series and some Prime Video resources.

According to user notifications, the Freevee app will be shut down in August, and users will be able to watch related series and movies for free on Prime Video without subscribing to Amazon Prime membership services. The announcement clarifies: “Prime Video will be the new exclusive platform for Freevee TV series, movies, and live TV.”

According to reports, Amazon revealed in November last year that it will gradually shut down the Freevee service to “provide users with a simpler viewing experience.” This adjustment is only half a year since Prime Video introduced ads in January 2024. Currently, Prime Video is included in the $15 monthly Prime membership, and can also be subscribed for $9 as a standalone service. Users can remove ads by paying an additional $2.

Since this year, Amazon's stock price has remained almost unchanged. As of press release, Amazon has only risen 0.4% during the year, which is significantly behind the 5.7% increase in the S&P 500 index.

However, analysts believe that as the second-quarter earnings report is about to be announced, the e-commerce giant is expected to usher in an opportunity for stock prices to rise. According to FactSet data, Amazon is expected to release second-quarter earnings around July 31. Prior to that, the company will also host an annual summer Prime Day promotion from July 8 to 11, which is expected to bring the company a peak in sales.

Truist Securities analyst Youssef Squali released a report on Wednesday raising Amazon's target share price from $226 to $250, which means there is about 13% upside from Tuesday's closing price of $220.46. At the same time, he maintained a “buy” rating on the grounds that Amazon's second-quarter results may be better than market expectations.