As an expert in the retail and consumer space, I often get asked about the complex world of streaming services and subscriptions. One common question is whether the popular website IMDb (Internet Movie Database) is free with an Amazon Prime membership.
The answer is a bit nuanced, as IMDb and Prime have some connections but are ultimately separate services. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll break down everything you need to know about IMDb, IMDb TV, Amazon Prime, and how they all relate for the savvy streamer.
What is IMDb?
IMDb is the world‘s most extensive online database of information related to films, TV shows, home videos, video games, and streaming content. It combines data on titles, people, companies, and franchises to be a one-stop shop for everything entertainment. Users can access details like cast and crew lists, plot summaries, trivia, reviews, ratings and much more.
The site was started in 1990 by a group of film fans and acquired by Amazon in 1998 for $55 million. It now boasts over 200 million data items spanning 11 million titles and 10 million names. A 2020 study found IMDb to be the 26th most visited website in the U.S. and 52nd globally. (Source)
Anyone can freely access IMDb‘s databases through its website and mobile apps. There is no paid subscription required to use any of IMDb‘s features or to contribute data. The site operates independently from Amazon‘s other offerings. However, there are some integrations between IMDb and Amazon‘s Prime Video streaming service, which we‘ll discuss later.
What is IMDb TV?
In January 2019, IMDb expanded into the streaming space with the launch of IMDb Freedive, an ad-supported service offering a selection of movies and TV shows for free. This was later rebranded as IMDb TV in June 2020.
IMDb TV is a standalone service that does not require a subscription to Amazon Prime or any other paid service. The content is made available for free in exchange for watching ads, similar to broadcast television.
As of May 2022, the IMDb TV library includes over 75,000 hours of content. This spans a wide range of popular movies, hit TV shows, and even a few original series. Notable titles include:
Movies:
- The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
- La La Land (2016)
- Dracula Untold (2014)
- Taxi Driver (1976)
- The Social Network (2010)
- The Big Short (2015)
- Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
Shows:
- Mad Men (2007-2015)
- 24 (2001-2010)
- Schitt‘s Creek (2015-2020)
- Fringe (2008-2013)
- My Name is Earl (2005-2009)
- Greek (2007-2011)
- 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001)
In terms of original content, IMDb TV has a growing slate of new series in development, including:
- Leverage: Redemption (revival of the 2008 crime drama)
- Alex Rider (a coming-of-age spy thriller)
- Untitled Judge Judy Sheindlin Project (court show with the iconic TV judge)
- Primo (comedy from The Good Place creator Michael Schur and Shea Serrano)
Amazon has not revealed specific viewership data for IMDb TV. However, they noted that monthly active users tripled year over year in each of the first two years after launch.
How Does IMDb TV Compare to Other Free Streaming Services?
IMDb TV is one of many options in the increasingly crowded free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) space. Some of its biggest competitors include:
| Service | Owner | Content Hours | Top Titles | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crackle | Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment | 10,000+ | Heroes, The Oath, Going from Broke | Early adopter of originals |
| Tubi | Fox Corporation | 40,000+ | Girl Most Likely, Zig Zag, Haunt | 40+ "channels", personalized recs |
| Pluto TV | Paramount Global | 75,000+ | CSI: Miami, Survivor, South Park | 200+ live linear channels |
| The Roku Channel | Roku, Inc. | 75,000+ | Alias, The Brave, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Integrates with premium subscriptions |
| Freevee (formerly IMDb TV) | Amazon | 75,000+ | Mad Men, Leverage: Redemption, Bosch | X-Ray bonus content, Freevee Originals |
As you can see, most of the major players have comparable content catalogs in the 10,000-75,000 hour range. The specific selection of movies and shows varies but they generally have well-known older titles along with a handful of exclusive originals.
IMDb TV‘s key differentiators are its close ties to Amazon‘s ecosystem (e.g. Prime Video integration, dedicated app for Fire TV devices), ambitious original programming plans, and bonus features like X-Ray powered by the IMDb database. However, competitors like Crackle and Tubi have been producing original content for longer.
How is IMDb TV Connected to Amazon Prime?
Since IMDb is an Amazon company, there are several ways IMDb TV ties into the larger Amazon ecosystem for the benefit of Prime subscribers:
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Prime Video Integration: IMDb TV has its own dedicated channel within the Prime Video app on all supported devices (e.g. mobile, smart TVs, streaming players, game consoles, web). This allows Prime members to seamlessly access IMDb TV‘s free content alongside Prime Video‘s subscription offerings. You can also add IMDb TV shows and movies to your Prime Watchlist.
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X-Ray on Prime Video: When watching any movie or show on Prime Video, you can pause and access an X-Ray sidebar that instantly displays relevant info from IMDb about the actors, characters, music, trivia, etc. This utilizes IMDb data to enhance the viewing experience exclusively for Prime members.
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Discounts for Prime Members: Occasionally, Prime members can purchase IMDB TV content for a discount (~10-50% off) to stream without ads if they prefer. This discount is not always available but is a nice perk.
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Freevee Originals (launching May 2022): IMDb TV is being rebranded to Freevee and will include a slate of high-profile original shows and movies produced by Amazon Studios. Prime members should expect to see some promotions and tie-ins encouraging them to check out Freevee. There will likely be additional synergies down the line.
It‘s important to emphasize that Prime is not required to access the core IMDb TV service, as the content is still free for anyone with ads. However, the integrations make it a nice complementary bonus for Prime members to have everything accessible in one place.
Do I Need to Pay for IMDb TV?
No, IMDb TV is a 100% free service for all viewers. There are no upgrade tiers, hidden fees, or strings attached beyond watching ads. You don‘t even need to register an account to stream, although signing in with an Amazon account unlocks extra features like a Watchlist.
This is in contrast to Amazon‘s Prime Video, which requires a subscription starting at $9/month or $139/year as of May 2022. Prime Video has a much larger selection of content (25,000+ titles) and benefits like 4K streaming, offline downloads, and Amazon Originals. Signing up for Prime also includes other perks like free shipping, cloud storage, and music streaming. A standalone Prime Video subscription without the other benefits is available for $9/mo.
So while IMDb TV is a nice free supplement for Prime members, it is not a replacement for the full Prime Video experience. IMDb TV is closer to a cable TV model with ad breaks inserted into a more limited catalog of shows and movies.
How To Get the Most Out of IMDb & IMDb TV
Here are some tips for using IMDb and IMDb TV to enhance your streaming life:
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Use the Watchlist: Add interesting titles to your IMDb TV Watchlist as you browse to easily access them later. Your Watchlist will sync across all devices if you stay logged in.
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Rate What You Watch: IMDb‘s user rating system is a key part of the site‘s value. The more titles you honestly rate, the better the crowdsourced scores become for the community. You can rate on a scale of 1-10 stars.
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Read and Write Reviews: IMDb has one of the largest collections of user reviews on the web. Reading a few detailed reviews is a great way to gauge if you‘ll like a movie or show before investing time. Consider writing your own reviews to share your perspective as well.
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Explore Recommendations: On IMDb, you can find recommendations for titles similar to ones you like under the "More Like This" section on a title‘s page. IMDb TV also has genre-based collections to help you find new content to enjoy.
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Check the Parents Guide: IMDb offers detailed guidance on a title‘s mature content like sex, violence, profanity, etc. This is very useful for parents to consult before watching something with kids.
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Customize Your IMDb Profile: You can customize your IMDb profile to share your personal lists of favorite films, ratings, reviews and more. It‘s a fun way to compare tastes with friends or other users.
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Contribute Data: As an IMDb registered user, you can help improve the database by submitting corrections, adding new information, uploading photos, and more. Users can even add new titles that are missing altogether. It‘s a huge communal effort.
The Future of IMDb TV
In April 2022, Amazon announced that IMDb TV will be rebranded as Freevee. This change is part of a larger investment in original programming and content for the platform. The name Freevee is meant to better communicate the free, premium TV positioning. Viewers can expect the same great service along with more originals rolling out over time.
Amazon has not revealed specific user or financial figures for IMDb TV. However, the company noted that "viewership has surged" and customer engagement time has tripled in the past 2 years since launch. In addition, IMDb TV has expanded to more devices and channels, tripled its content selection, and launched in the UK.
Freevee will aim to boost Amazon‘s share of the $70 billion TV ad market. Ampere Analysis estimates that 5-10% of Prime Video‘s 200 million subscribers use IMDb TV. If accurate, that would mean 10-20 million active viewers. For comparison, market leader Pluto TV last reported 64 million monthly active users globally at the end of 2021. So there‘s certainly room for Freevee to grow, especially internationally.
Amazon sees Freevee as a key pillar in its streaming strategy alongside Prime Video, live sports, and its growth in branded Fire TV devices. Freevee can help attract viewers who want quality content without paying subscription fees, while still allowing Amazon to monetize through ads. It also provides a funnel to upsell viewers on Prime Video and other Amazon services in the future.
"We‘ve been delighted by the viewer response to our modern television network in a streaming landscape," said Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming for Freevee. "We‘re looking forward to building on this momentum with an increasing slate of inventive and broadly appealing originals, and are excited to establish Freevee as the premier AVoD (ad-supported video on demand) service with content audiences crave." (Source)
Conclusion
In summary, IMDb itself is a free online database that does not require an Amazon Prime membership to access. However, IMDb TV (soon to be Freevee) is a separate ad-supported streaming video service that provides free content to anyone, with some helpful integrations for Prime subscribers.
IMDb TV has become a solid choice for cord cutters and budget-conscious viewers looking to supplement their entertainment options without adding another subscription. The service has a competitive library of popular titles on par with peers like Tubi and Pluto TV. It also will likely start to differentiate itself with Amazon‘s considerable original production resources behind it.
Still, IMDb TV is not a full-fledged replacement for paid services like Prime Video or Netflix that offer extensive 4K content, offline viewing, and buzzy originals. Instead, it occupies a unique space in the market akin to a free TV network with Amazon‘s vast web of data, retail, and media assets behind it to enable future growth.
While IMDb TV viewership data is limited, its strong ties to Amazon and the IMDb brand give it a notable advantage in the free streaming wars. As more consumers seek alternatives to pricey subscriptions, IMDb TV is well-positioned to scoop up market share and ad dollars. The pending rebrand and investment in originals show Amazon is confident in its FAST strategy for the long haul.
As always in the rapidly evolving media landscape, only time will tell which players emerge successful. But with Amazon‘s backing and IMDb‘s 20+ year head start as the leading entertainment destination on the internet, IMDb TV has the potential to ascend the ranks of streaming stardom.
