James R | On 12, Jan 2019

IMDb is getting into the streaming game, with the launch of Freedive, a new video channel for the USA.

The free platform is steering clear of Netflix waters and going down the ad-supported route instead of subscription fees. That open-doors policy is designed to capitalise on the online database’s huge reach, with 250 million unique monthly visitors, and over 5 million movies and TV items logged in its archive of information. Indeed, Amazon, which owns the website, uses it to power Amazon Prime Video’s X-Ray trivia service, offering stats and credits for each title on the streaming platform. Freedive will, naturally, include X-Ray too, providing on-screen information about a title’s cast, crew, trivia, soundtracks and more.

The result is a logical extension of the IMDb brand from a searchable resource to a destination in its own right. The key to its success will be content, with IMDb currently having the rights to stream TV shows including Fringe, Heroes, The Bachelor and Without a Trace, plus older movies such as Awakenings, Foxcatcher, Memento, Monster, Run Lola Run, The Illusionist, The Last Samurai and True Romance. IMDb’s own short-form originals, including The IMDb Show, Casting Calls and No Small Parts, are also available to stream.

“Customers already rely on IMDb to discover movies and TV shows and decide what to watch,” says 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.”

US users can find out more at www.imdb.com/freedive. Freedive is available on web browsers and all Amazon Fire TV devices, and, should it prove successful, you can expect it to roll out into other countries as well as onto more devices.

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