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Freevee logo: The Amazon offer started on Wednesday
Photo: Amazon / dpa
Amazon has launched a new video streaming service for users from Germany.
With the service called Freevee, the group offers the possibility to call up a selection of films and series seasons free of charge.
The new offer flanks Amazon's previous and significantly more extensive video flat rate Prime Video.
This fee-based flat rate is part of Amazon's Prime subscription package and will soon become more expensive.
Freevee could therefore be an alternative for some customers who are struggling with the new Prime prices.
The Freevee content can be accessed with Fire TV devices, via the Prime Video app or via Amazon's website.
An Amazon account is required.
An Amazon spokesman told the dpa news agency that Freevee is an offer that users “typically would expect behind a paywall”.
There will be a mix of in-house productions, external films and series, plus live channels.
In practice, the service competes with paid streaming services such as Netflix, but of course also with video services such as YouTube, which are also financed by advertising.
Disney and Netflix are currently working on ad-supported, but not completely free variants of their services.
A »Bosch« offshoot as a draft horse
At the start, Freevee can stream »Bosch: Legacy«, one of five exclusive content.
Popular series content on the portal includes five seasons of »2 Broke Girls«, »Person of Interest« and »Broadchurch«.
The first films on Freevee include The Centenarian Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared and Zoolander.
Some Freevee content is available on Prime Video without ads.
It also has nine live channels including BBC Food, BBC Travel, BBC History and a channel called Top True Crime.
In an interview with Blickpunkt:Film magazine, Freevee co-head Ryan Pirozzi described the TV-like channel concept as "a bit retro".
However, he also emphasized that due to the high demand, Freevee has expanded its range of channels in the USA to more than 100 channels today.
"I am sure that we will do the same in Germany," says Pirozzi.
According to Pirozzi, a maximum of nine minutes of advertising per hour can be expected on Freevee in Germany.
That is "significantly less advertising" than on traditional television.
Amazon is currently massively expanding its advertising business.
mbo
