Amazon Ad-Supported Video Streaming Service Tipped For Fire TV

Amazon is working on a new video streaming service that will be ad-supported and only available on Fire TV, according to a new report. The alleged service won't cost anything — except the time to watch advertisements, of course — providing an attractive alternative to the existing Prime Video product. The service is reportedly being developed by the Amazon subsidiary IMDB.READ: Amazon Fire TV Cube Review: Alexa, hide the remote

The details were provided by sources speaking to The Information, which reports that the service will be limited to Fire TV devices, such as the Fire TV Stick and smart Fire TVs. Amazon is reportedly toying with the name "Free Dive" for the service, which will likely feature older television shows.

Amazon is said to be in licensing talks with big studios to get content for the service. This won't be a part of Prime Video, according to the report. It's possible users will get access to different content than is available on Prime Video, though there could be overlap.

Late last year, a report from Ad Age claimed Amazon was creating an ad-supported free video streaming service, claiming that it would "complement" Prime Video. Though Amazon had issued a statement seemingly dismissing the report, it had specifically said it wasn't creating a free ad-supported version of Prime Video.

Roku already offers something similar to the alleged Free Dive service — The Roku Channel, which offers free access to content supported by advertisements. Roku's service was initially limited to Roku devices, but recently expanded to online and mobile for wider audiences to access.

SOURCE: The Information