Amazon is making dozens of kids’ shows, including Arthur, completely free
As more people are asked to stay home due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Amazon is making a portion of Prime Video kids and family programming free, including popular shows like Arthur, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and more.
Starting today, 40 family and kids’ shows will be made available to stream on Prime Video for all customers, including those without Prime memberships. All people need is an Amazon account, which they can get for free by signing up on the main site.
The offer includes both Amazon Original series like Just Add Magic, Pete the Cat, and If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, alongside licensed series like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad, and PBS’s beloved Arthur. In Europe, licensed programming also includes Peppa Pig and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom. Amazon’s other free streaming service, IMDb TV, will also offer 80 free family movies through its ad-supported system. These movies include Scooby-Doo: The Movie, Shrek 2, and The Smurfs, among others.
Amazon is the latest company to offer parts of its service for free to customers who are stuck sitting at home. Other streaming services, including horror-centric streamer Shudder and sports streaming platforms like NBA League Pass and NFL Game Pass have started offering free past games to fans looking to get their basketball or football fix at a time when live sports have hit pause. Sling TV and Hulu have started adding free live news options to subscribers looking to keep up with the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Amazon didn’t say how long the free offering will last, it’s a good way to court new Prime Video subscribers. Streaming usage is up, as Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos told CNN on Sunday, as people stay home and look for sources of entertainment. Using the time to find new potential customers, and retaining them after life returns to some form of normalcy, is a move that many companies are going to try to do. Amazon offering free family entertainment — on a site where parents are likely ordering or thinking of ordering basic supplies, too — is one of those moves.
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As more people are asked to stay home due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Amazon is making a portion of Prime Video kids and family programming free, including popular shows like Arthur, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and more. Starting today, 40 family and kids’ shows will be made available to stream…
