Don’t worry, you will still be able to visit down under.
Amazon is officially shutting down Freevee, according to a number of press reports coming out of the USA.
Rumours began swirling earlier this year that an end for Freevee was imminent and we reported back in February that the shut down was happening. Amazon immediately denied the rumours back then, but now it has been confirmed that their plan is going ahead.
Freevee initially launched in 2019 as IMDb Freedive, later IMDb TV, a free-to-air ad supported streaming service, initially showing mostly archive programming. In 2022 Amazon announced it was rebranding the service as Amazon Freevee and the year saw a shift towards a mix of more original programming alongside older TV series. In November of the same year Amazon shocked the industry by announcing that they were commissioning a reboot of Neighbours to air on the platform.
In September this year viewers noticed that when viewing Neighbours through the Prime Video app, it was flagged as a Prime Original show rather than a Freevee show, complete with a Prime bumper that played before each episode. Neighbours also began appearing in Prime’s “Most Watched” chart, regularly in the top 3 shows on days when episodes drop.
Amazon have confirmed to Ramsay Street UK that the Freevee brand will be disappearing, along with the app in coming weeks.
A spokesperson from Amazon said:
“New episodes of Neighbours, Judy Justice, and Bosch: Legacy, as well as library Freevee Originals including Jury Duty, The Mallorca Files, Alex Rider, and more, will remain available for Prime members and non-Prime members to stream on Prime Video. Additionally, a sampling of library Originals including Hanna and Homecoming are also available for non-Prime members to stream for free.”
Previously, all Amazon Prime Video content was free to subscribers, but a shift in their business model saw them introducing an ad-supported subscription level earlier this year, so introducing Freevee programming as a non-subscription ad-supported platform within Prime was widely expected by teh industry, even if it is a little confusing for some viewers.
Let’s take a look at some of the questions you may have:
Does this mean that Neighbours is ending?
No. All current Freevee programming will simply move to Prime Video. Amazon reportedly signed a 2-year, 400-episode deal with Fremantle, so those episodes will all air as planned. However, there has not been any report of the series being recommissioned, unless a new deal is signed by Amazon, filming will end on Neighbours early next year.
I watch on the Freevee app. How do I watch Neighbours now?
The Freevee platform, including it’s app, will become unavailable within a few weeks and so you will not be able to use it to watch the show. The only place in the UK to watch episodes of Neighbours will be on the Prime Video app, which you can download to any mobile device, smart television or streaming device. The Freevee app was only ever available on a small number of devices including phones, laptops, Apple TV and Amazon Fire devices, so most viewers already watch through the Prime Video app which is more widely available.
Does this mean I have to pay for Amazon Prime to watch Neighbours?
No. You don’t even need to make an account. All of the content currently available on Freevee will be available to view free of charge on Prime Video. We recommend creating an account so that you can pick up watching shows where you left off on any device, but you do not have to subscribe to one of the paid tiers on Amazon.
Will the channels that show old episodes of Neighbours on Freevee still exist?
Yes. FAST programming (Free Ad Supported Television) is growing in popularity and all of the FAST channels available on Freevee are available to watch on Prime. You will also be able to watch a number of classic episodes as well as every episode from 2012 onwards on-demand, through Amazon Prime Video.
I have a paid Amazon Prime account, so will I be able to watch Neighbours without adverts?
No. The free ad-supported content will contain adverts even if you have a paid subscription to Amazon Prime.
You can watch new episodes of Neighbours from 7am, Monday-Thursday on Amazon Prime Video and also, at least for now, on Amazon Freevee.