America’s public broadcaster is expanding its digital footprint through a new partnership with Amazon’s Prime Video. The PBS KIDS channel, along with 150-plus local PBS stations, will join Prime’s FAST library on an ad-free basis over the next few months. 

It’s the first time PBS programming will be available for free on a major streaming platform. And those who aren’t Prime members can access the pubcaster’s channels in Prime Video’s “Watch For Free” section. 

PBS Distribution will also launch two new FAST channels (PBS Drama and PBS Documentaries) exclusively with Prime Video for a limited time beginning on November 26. And the division plans to roll out what it calls a “pop-up” FAST channel that will rotate through various classic PBS shows—the first one will be Emmy-winning children’s series Reading Rainbow, which debuted in the ’80s and ran for 23 seasons (155 x 30 minutes).

This PBS/Amazon agreement is part of the public broadcaster’s strategy to reach the FAST ecosystem’s growing audience. Nearly 66% of TV viewers in the US are FAST platform users, according to a Horowitz Research report that was released in August 2024.

“PBS member stations will be able to tap into a leading streaming service to offer quality local programming that viewers know and love for free,” says Ira Rubenstein, the public broadcaster’s chief digital and marketing officer. “It’s part of the PBS commitment to make trusted content available to all households across as many platforms as possible.”