Amazon may be launching a free, ad-supported video service for Fire TV

It could be the company's next move into the TV ad market.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter

Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.

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Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.

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Abrar Al-Heeti

Aug. 28, 2018 3:19 p.m. PT

Amazon is planning to roll out a free, ad-supported video service for Fire TV users, people familiar with the matter have told The Information.

The rumored service joins a growing list of ad-supported content on other Amazon-owned platforms like IMDb and Twitch. The e-commerce giant has also run ads during NFL games on its Prime Video streaming service, and could start running ads during sporting events on Prime Video in Europe, a source told The Information in a report Tuesday.

The new service for Fire TV, dubbed Free Dive, is reportedly separate from Amazon's subscription-based Prime Video service, which is ad-free and features original content, network TV shows and movies. Amazon is reportedly working with studios to license older TV shows for Free Dive.

That means the service could resemble the offerings on the Roku Channel, which features free, ad-supported content on Roku streaming devices. Roku and Fire TV are strong competitors in the streaming device market. It's estimated that around 32 percent of connected TV users in the US will use Roku this year, while around 26 percent will use Amazon Fire TV.

Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment or confirmation.