Amazon introduces its ‘Amazon Live’ shoppable livestreams to both Prime Video and Freevee
Amazon’s move to introduce an “Amazon Live” FAST (free ad-supported TV) channel on Prime Video and Freevee aims to keep live shopping relevant by expanding its reach to more customers in the U.S. The channel will feature 24/7 programming from popular creators and celebrities, including reality TV stars like Lala Kent and Paige DeSorbo, as well as brands like Tastemade and The Bump.
With this expansion, viewers will have more ways to engage with interactive, shoppable content, allowing them to browse and buy items showcased by influencers directly from the Amazon Shopping app on their mobile devices. By entering “shop the show” into the search bar, users can access a shopping carousel featuring the products they see on TV in real time, enhancing the seamless shopping experience.
While Amazon Live’s introduction of an e-commerce shopping experience on Prime Video represents a strategic move, it’s not the first time Prime Video has ventured into this territory. Previously, Amazon launched a virtual store to promote “The Boys” spinoff series “Gen V,” offering merchandise and home goods inspired by the show’s universe.
The expansion of live shopping experiences on Prime Video aligns with broader trends in the industry. Last year, QVC and HSN, two top shopping channels, introduced linear offerings on Freevee, becoming the only livestream shopping channels on the platform at that time.
Amazon Live itself was launched in 2019, aiming to provide a QVC-like shopping experience for brands to showcase their products and for talent to engage with fans. The service was extended to customers in India in 2022. Notably, Amazon Live’s shoppable videos attracted over 1 billion viewers in the U.S. and India in 2023 alone.
Despite the success of live shopping, it still represents a relatively small portion of the e-commerce market. While live shopping was projected to reach $31.7 billion in value last year, total U.S. online retail sales exceeded $1.14 trillion, indicating that live shopping accounts for only a fraction of overall online retail activity.
