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What Happened to Viewster?

Viewster shut down in 2019, but there are still many ways to stream full-length movies online for free

By Stacy Fisher Stacy Fisher Technology Educator Emporia State University Stacy is a professional technology educator with over 25 years' experience. She has published hundreds of articles, co-authored a book, and has appeared on national and local TV. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on October 5, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section What It Was Why It Shut Down Streaming Options Alternatives Viewster was a free online movie website with thousands of Hollywood and independent movies, including a limited number of free TV shows. The website shut down in 2019 and now redirects to another streaming service, called CONtv, which is offered by the same company that purchased Viewster. The good news is that you can still watch some of Viewster's movies on YouTube, as you'll learn below. There are also lots of other similar, free movie streaming sites you can use instead.

What Was Viewster

Viewster had free movies, TV shows, and other videos from partners like STARZ, 20th Century Fox, BBC, and HBO. It was completely legal to use and was free because it was supported by ads. You could watch these free movies and shows from their website, the mobile app, gaming consoles, and smart TVs. Some of the categories you could browse through included Anime, Sci-Fi, Action, Horror, Comedy, Drama, Korean Drama, Documentary, Animation, and Romance.

Why Did Viewster Shut Down

It's unclear why Viewster shut down, but there are two likely reasons... Given that it was powered by ad revenue, it's possible that the money just wasn't coming in like they needed it to, and so instead of taking a loss, they closed down. Another reason might be because of new owners. Viewster was acquired by Cinedigm in early 2019, and that company also owns CONtv, another movie streaming website.
CONtv is similar to Viewster—it has a decent list of free movies and works from their website and mobile app—so redirecting Viewster.com traffic to their other service makes sense. You can check out CONtv's free movies here.

Are Viewster' s Movies Still Available

There were over 12,000 titles in Viewster's movie collection, but since the website is no longer live, you can not get those movies back. The closest thing that's available today is the Free Movies By Cinedigm YouTube channel. There are dozens of full-length films there, in genres like action, drama, family, horror, and thriller. Not only does that platform make it easy to watch these films on your TV, computer, or phone, but YouTube has its own free movies you can stream.

Viewster Alternatives

There are many other sites where you can watch free movies and shows, some with far more programming than Viewster ever had. Crackle, Vudu, Yidio, and Popcornflix are a few examples, but there are others in this list of free movie sites. If watching from your mobile device is what you're after, see these free movie apps that function much like Viewster's app did. They pull movies from sites that add fresh content often, so they're the best ways to enjoy movies from your phone for free. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What Happened to SnagFilms? 11 Best Free Apps for Streaming Movies in 2022 How to Watch Movies on YouTube Crackle: Watch Free Movies and TV Online What Happened to Retrovision? 11 Best Free Movie Download Sites 12 Best Free Movie Websites Online (October 2022) 9 Best Free Action Movie Websites 7 Best Websites for Movie Trailers 11 Ways to Watch TV Shows Online Free in 2022 Best Free Movies on YouTube (September 2022) How to Watch Free Movies on Roku Watch Free Online Movies and TV Shows at Tubi What Is IMDb? Yidio Review: A Free Streaming Movie Website 8 Best Places to Watch Free Drama Movies Online Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies