Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu certainly make it easier for us to consume the shows and movies we love. Instead of having to deal with costly monthly bills and a confusing matrix of programming tiers from cable providers, streaming services provide us with a much simpler and affordable alternative. The irony, though, is that the number of streaming services to choose from keeps on getting larger, essentially making the media landscape as confusing and pricey as the cable packages of old.
The latest entrant into the streaming landscape comes from IMDb. Earlier today, the Amazon-owned property launched a brand new streaming site dubbed Freedive. Now I know what you’re thinking: do we really need another streaming site? In a word, no. That said, Freedive is a bit different from current streaming sites insofar that it’s completely free and, in turn, ad-supported.
Freedive for now is a U.S.-only service and can be accessed from the IMDB website and, naturally, from all Amazon Fire TV devices.
IMDb’s press release reads in part:
IMDb Freedive offers popular, full-length movies and hit TV shows – for free, with ads. Customers can dive even deeper into the titles they are watching on IMDb Freedive by using X-Ray, which is powered by the authoritative information on IMDb about cast, crew, trivia, soundtracks and more. Popular IMDb original video series, including The IMDb Show, Casting Calls and No Small Parts, are available to stream on IMDb Freedive now.
“Customers already rely on IMDb to discover movies and TV shows and decide what to watch,” said Col Needham, Founder and CEO of IMDb. “With the launch of IMDb Freedive, they can now also watch full-length movies and TV shows on IMDb and all Amazon Fire TV devices for free. We will continue to enhance IMDb Freedive based on customer feedback and will soon make it available more widely, including on IMDb’s leading mobile apps.”
IMDb Freedive is available beginning today at http://www.imdb.com/freedive, on IMDb’s website via laptop or personal computer and on Fire TV devices. Fire TV customers will see the new IMDb Freedive icon in the “Your Apps & Channels” row, making it easy to find free movies and TV shows. On Fire TV, simply say “Alexa, go to Freedive,” to immediately access, browse and enjoy free movies and TV shows.
I gave IMDb Freedive a little bit of a spin, and my early impressions are largely positive. They have a decent selection of content and, more importantly, the ads don’t seem terribly intrusive.
