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IMDb has launched an ad-supported movie streaming service

IMDb has launched an ad-supported movie streaming service

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With a better selection than most free services

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Image: IMDB

IMDb is known as the place to go to look up details for any film under the sun, and now it’s entering the streaming video arena. The company has launched Freedive, a free streaming platform that’s supported by periodic ad breaks.

The service’s films and TV shows are available to registered IMDb or Amazon users and Amazon Fire TV owners in the United States. (The list of compatible devices is the same as the list for Prime Video.) Fire owners can navigate the service by way of a new icon in the “Your Apps & Channels” section or by telling their Amazon smart device, “Alexa, go to Freedive.” The site says it will continually add new offerings to the site. The site will also indicate on a film’s page if it’s available on Freedive.

The service follows similar free, ad-supported platforms like Tubi, Vudu’s Movies On Us, or YouTube’s Free to Watch selection. Word of the program came last year, with a report that Amazon would announce the ad-supported service as a way to help the company compete in the $70 billion-per-year television advertising market.

Freedive breaks up films into categories such as “Hits of the ‘80s,” “Sci-Fi,” “Chills and Thrills,” and “Movies for the Whole Family.” The selection actually looks better than those on its rival streaming sites, with well-regarded films like Memento, Foxcatcher, Drive, Big Fish, and Adaptation joining TV shows like Fringe, Heroes, and Quantum Leap. The service also has a small range of original projects, like No Small Parts and The IMDb Show.

Updated, January 11th, 2019 8:19AM: Updated to clarify that this is available in the US only.