Amazon’s streaming services, Prime Video and IMDb TV, signed a multiyear licensing deal with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, the company announced on Thursday.
Starting in 2022, Universal’s live-action films will first become available on Peacock after their initial theatrical releases, before landing exclusively on Prime Video four months later.
Universal titles will include “Jurassic World: Dominion,” “The 355” and “Ambulance.”
Prime Video will also gain SVOD rights to Universal’s theatrical slate of animated movies through an additional window, including 2022 theatrical titles such as Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and “The Bad Guys.” Several titles including the “Jurassic Park” franchise, “Bourne” franchise, “Love Actually,” “Get Out,” and the “Fast & Furious” franchise will also become available to Prime members.
IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service, is the first ad-supported service to secure an exclusive U.S. network-window license from a major studio. IMDb TV will have an exclusive window for films from Universal’s 2020-2021 theatrical slate, including titles such as “Dolittle,” “The Invisible Man,” “F9” (Fast & Furious 9), and “Sing 2,” all with full exclusivity across AVOD, SVOD, and FVOD during the license period. IMDb TV will also have rights to a package of animated titles in Universal’s library.
Launched in 2019, IMDb TV (then known as IMDb Freedive) was more like ViacomCBS’ Pluto TV, a place where people could watch old shows for free. In early 2020, Amazon moved IMDb TV’s content team under Amazon Studios with the goal of creating original content. When Amazon bagged the streaming rights for AMC’s Emmy-winning “Mad Men,” they put it on IMDb TV.