[barney63]

Is this a possible addon?

Amazon’s IMDb TV is Now Available on Roku
Jess Barnes CordCutter News Jan 26, 2021

IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service, is now available on Roku devices in the US. With IMDb TV, Roku users will be able to watch originals from Amazon Studios, along with a large content library of shows and movies, all for free.

“We are thrilled to provide customers a seamless and easy way to view our broadly-appealing content with the distribution of our IMDb TV app onto millions of Roku devices,” said Mark Eamer, VP of IMDb TV, OTT and Brand Advertising. “We look forward to delivering our catalog of hit movies, acclaimed series, nostalgic TV and inventive IMDb TV Originals to Roku’s engaged customers.”

IMDb TV features Amazon Studios originals including the spy thriller Alex Rider and the recently announced docu-series Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers, which is set to premiere next month. Later this year, the free streaming service will add the crime drama Leverage and the Untitled Judge Judy Sheindlin Project.

Roku users, along with those using the app on Fire TV and other devices, can watch with no subscription on the IMDb TV app.

[barney63]

IMDb TV is Now Available on Chromecast with Google TV
Jess Barnes cordcutternews.com Feb 24 2021

IMDb TV announced today that the app is now available on Chromecast with Google TV, along with other Android TV OS devices. IMDb TV is free, with no subscription required.

The launch of IMDb TV on Chromecast follows its recent launches on Roku, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Sony Android TV. Additional Android TV OS devices will be added in the coming weeks.

With the IMDb TV app, viewers can watch movies, TV shows, and exclusive content, all for free. IMDb TV features originals from Amazon Studios including the docu-series Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers premiering Feb. 26. You’ll also find a regularly updated library of titles including 4, Schitt’s Creek and Fringe and blockbuster movies such as Minority Report, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

In addition to the IMDb TV app on Roku, Chromecast with Google TV, Sony Android TV, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S devices, IMDb TV is available as an app on Fire TV and a free Channel within the Prime Video and IMDb apps across hundreds of devices.

[barney63]

Amazon’s IMDb App is Now Available on iOS and Android
Jess Barnes cordcutternews.com August 4 2021

Amazon announced today that its free streaming service IMDb TV is now available on iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices in the U.S.

IMDb TV has a catalog of free TV shows and movies with new titles across a wide variety of genres including comedy, family, romance, thrillers, science fiction, documentaries, horror, and more added every month. The free streaming service also offers original content like Leverage: Redemption, Alex Rider, Moment of Truth, and Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.

IMDb TV is available on Fire TV, as a channel on Amazon Prime Video, on the web, and across nearly all streaming devices. This year, the app launched on Roku, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Android TV devices, LG Smart TVs (2018-2021 models), PlayStation 4 consoles as well as Chromecast with Google TV, Nvidia Shield, and other Android TV OS devices.

[Wagg]

You realize you can watch this content through the Prime Video addon by just adding them to your watchlist?

[barney63]

You realize you can watch this content through the Prime Video addon by just adding them to your watchlist?

Do you have to be a paid subscriber?  If so that defeats the purpose of the free streaming service.

[barney63]

Amazon’s Free Streaming Service IMDb TV Launches in the UK
Tmera Hepburn codcutternews September 29, 2021

The free streaming service IMDb TV is now available in the UK, giving viewers across the pond access to the Amazon-owned free content offered on the platform. IMDb TV is now available through an Amazon Prime Video carousel and will be coming to Fire TV soon.

The content library is limited right now, but has classic films and TV alongside original U.S. content produced by Amazon Studios exclusively for the service.

“The same way we launched in the U.S. with Prime Video or IMDb TV, it’s a small ‘getting started’ selection so we can learn from customers,” Ryan Pirozzi, co-head of content and programming at IMDb TV told Variety. “I would say it’s curated with a different lens in mind. It’s curated with a lens of customers.”

“Free streaming services are not unique, especially in the U.K., where there’s several broadcaster options (such as BBC iPlayer and Channel 4’s All4),” Pirozzi said. “I think what is unique about us is ambitious, premium original series from Amazon Studios inside a free service: that is much more unique.”

[barney63]

Here is an article showing what were voted the best free streaming services of 2021.  We can use use that to help gauge what addons should be created, I will exclude Hoopla and Kanopy as they are not available in all areas.

As of now, addons we have available for the most current Kodi (Matrix) are: Pluto, Tubi, Plex, Crackle and STIRR.

Addons that need to be created for Matrix are: Roku, IMDB TV, XUMO (not updated to Matrix), and Redbox

Pluto TV is the Best Free Streaming Service of 2021 (Cordie Awards 2021)
Jess Barnes cordcutternews.com December 30, 2021

Once again, Pluto TV earned the title of Cord Cutters News readers’ favorite free streaming service in our annual Cordie Awards. Pluto TV earned 45.4% of the vote to take first place when we surveyed our readers to ask about their favorite services, devices, and content from the year.

Pluto TV took 45.4% of the votes and we weren’t surprised to see this service take first place again. ViacomCBS has been adding new channels and titles to this free service all year, along with updating the channel guide with new features to make the app more user friendly.

The Roku Channel came in second with 23% of the votes. This year, Roku has invested in its free streaming service by adding shows that previously streamed on Quibi and launching all-new Roku Originals.

Tubi came in at 13%, followed by IMDb TV at 11.5%, Plex at 2.4%, Hoopla at 1.7%, Kanopy and Crackle both at 1.2%, and Xumo, STIRR, and Redbox ending out the free services.

[Nostrodamus]

You realize you can watch this content through the Prime Video addon by just adding them to your watchlist?

Do you have to be a paid subscriber?  If so that defeats the purpose of the free streaming service.

I tried to use the Prime Video addon with my Amazon (non-Prime member) login, and it wouldn't work. So I'm assuming that means it works with paid accounts only. I'd like to see an IDMB addon if it were possible. Or have the "free" option added to the Prime Video addon. Since the IMDB.tv website now redirects to Amazon Prime Video, I would think this should be possible?

[barney63]

Same thing happened to me.  I used to have an IMDB account and tried to login about a week ago and they wanted my Amazon account (which was a pisser) because then it started giving me the business about being on another computer.  God I hate Big Tech, can't wait until they each get busted up like Standard Oil did back in the day.

[barney63]

With Amazon increasing prices there will likely be a time when the other services will follow suit and choices will have to be made to pare down what services we will keep paying for.  It would be good to gave an addon to help take the place for the pay Amazon service.

Amazon is Increasing the Price of Prime Memberships to $139
Jess Barnes cordcutternews February 3, 2022

[barney63]

Why I keep advocating for "free" addons over "pay" services

Tubi Report Predicts Free Streaming Audience Will Surpass Paid Streaming by Mid-2022
Jess Barnes cordcutternews February 9, 202

According to the report, ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) services grew twice as fast (+16%) as subscription video on demand (SVOD) (+8%) in 2021. The Stream predicts that AVOD users will surpass SVOD users this year.

“Free streaming platforms are garnering distinct, loyal audiences,” the report says, with more cord cutters listing free services as their “television of choice” while getting more picky about which SVOD services they’re willing to pay for month after month.

While many cord cutters prefer to stream without ads, this report shows that viewers are becoming more receptive to ads, especially when it means getting quality content for free. With the report coming from Tubi, the free streaming service notes that it has “some of the lightest ad load in the AVOD space” with 4-6 ads per hour while traditional TV averages 13-17 minutes per hour. The key, the research shows, is keeping the number of ads low and avoiding repetitive ads to keep the audience happy and ensure a positive return on investment for advertisers.

[Nostrodamus]

 The key, the research shows, is keeping the number of ads low and avoiding repetitive ads to keep the audience happy and ensure a positive return on investment for advertisers.

Except that's NOT what Tubi does at all. It runs 6 or 7 ads in a row, and most of them are on repeat for every ad break. I really miss the Kodi version of Tubi... which didn't have this annoyance. Hope it's "unbroken' soon.....

[barney63]

Still hoping someone will take on creating an IMDB TV addon

IMDb TV Launches on Samsung Smart TVs
Jess Barnes CordCutter News March 4, 2022

IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service, announced today that the IMDb TV app is now available on Samsung TVs. Today, the app is available on 2019-2021 models and it will launch on 2017-2019 Samsung smart TVs over the coming days.

On IMDb TV, Samsung users will have access to Amazon Studios originals like the true crime docuseries Bug Out, which premiers today; the heist drama Leverage: Redemption; the court program Judy Justice; the sports docuseries UNINTERRUPTED’s Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers; and the buddy-cop drama Pretty Hard Cases. IMDb TV also has an extensive library of movies and TV shows like Chicago Fire, Perry Mason, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and The Princess Bride.

Along with Samsung Smart TVs and other third party devices, IMDb TV is available as an app on Fire TV, Fire Tablets, and a free Channel within the Prime Video app across hundreds of devices.

[Nostrodamus]

Found IMDB TV on my Samsung TV by accident the other day, before I even saw the above article. Good to see Samsung get on board with this, since you're lucky to get one useful "new" app a year from them, but I'd still like to see it on Kodi some day.

[barney63]

Please help me campaign to get an IMDB TV addon created for Kodi for all the free/legal addon users out there.