This chapter specifically analyzes Amazon Prime’s dual model (subscription + transactional) and explains why certain movies become “free” temporarily — often due to licensing windows, promotional deals, or as a strategy to compete with ad-supported tiers (e.g., Freevee, formerly IMDb TV, which is integrated into Prime).
Johnson, C. (2019). “The Online Television Industry: Aggregators, Platforms, and the Question of Control.” In From Networks to Netflix (2nd ed., pp. 221–238). Routledge. movies on prime now free
Lobato examines how streaming platforms (including Amazon Prime Video) use “free” or bundled content as part of their subscription retention strategies . He discusses the shift from pay-per-view and ad-supported models to hybrid models (e.g., Prime’s “included with Prime” versus “rent/buy”). The paper also explores algorithmic curation and how “free” content drives user engagement. “The Online Television Industry: Aggregators