Amazon to halt sales of Apple TV, Google Chromecast in bid to push Fire TV & Prime Video

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited October 2015
Amazon will halt all sales of the Apple TV and Google Chromecast beginning on Oct. 29, the company said in an email to marketplace vendors, claiming that its Prime Video service doesn't run well on some devices outside of the Fire TV line.




"Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime," reads one part of the email, obtained by Bloomberg. "It's important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion."

Several other platforms that already do have Prime Video support -- including Roku, Xbox, and PlayStation -- will be allowed to continue sales, Amazon said.

The company didn't explain what compatibility problems Prime Video might have. There is in fact an iOS app for the service which supports AirPlay to Apple TVs, and the Chromecast could be supported relatively easily through iOS and Android app updates.

There is however no dedicated Apple TV app, and despite using a fork of Android, Amazon has previously balked at rules demanding that if it wants to use Google services it must also feature them on devices. The company even maintains its own separate app store, which is the only place to get the Amazon Video app for Android. Also, though other video services are supported by the Fire TV platform, it preferences Prime content.

Amazon may be more concerned about steering customers towards Prime subscriptions and spurring sales of the updated Fire TV devices shipping this month. That hardware will come under siege from an updated Chromecast, as well as a fourth-generation Apple TV, the latter of which is also shipping in October.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 163

    So are they going to halt sales of smart tv's and DVD players that don't have Prime Videos as well?

  • Reply 2 of 163
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    “Apple to halt hosting of Amazon apps”…? No? 

  • Reply 3 of 163
    snovasnova Posts: 1,281member

    Apple TV has an Amazon Video app?  I can't find it. 

  • Reply 4 of 163
    snovasnova Posts: 1,281member



    TS,

     

    Maybe Amazon will pull their own Amazon Video apps from the Apple App store (for iOS) as that is currently the only way that I think you can play Amazon Video on Apple TV.

  • Reply 5 of 163
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by snova View Post

     

    Apple TV has an Amazon Video app?  I can't find it. 




    Unfortunately not, stuck airplaying from your iDevice.

     

    Now that Apple will finally release an Apple TV that has an app store support this will hopefully be rectified.

  • Reply 6 of 163
    monstrositymonstrosity Posts: 2,234member

    Desperate. 

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    Amazon is shooting themself in the foot.

     

    Stupid. Nice job pissing off your most valuable client base (Apple users).




    Exactly. This will backfire for sure.

  • Reply 7 of 163
    512ke512ke Posts: 782member

    Amazon: We want it all, or nothing.

     

    Reality: Okay, nothing. 

     

    Amazon Fire TV, meet Amazon Fire Phone.

  • Reply 8 of 163
    snovasnova Posts: 1,281member

    maybe all they are saying is...    Amazon Fire TV is not selling well.  Most people are watching Amazon Video via Apple products or Chromecast and this isn't helping Amazon as much as if people bought Amazon Fire TVs? 

     

    head scratcher...   

  • Reply 9 of 163
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    sog35 wrote: »
    How is this even possible?

    This is clearly an anti-trust violation.  So obvious Amazon is paying $$$ to DC and the courts.

    Apple has banned stuff from both their online and physical stores.

    And they have done it more than once.
  • Reply 10 of 163
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member

    " it preferences Prime content."

     

    Editor, anyone?

  • Reply 11 of 163
    snovasnova Posts: 1,281member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msantti View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post



    How is this even possible?



    This is clearly an anti-trust violation.  So obvious Amazon is paying $$$ to DC and the courts.




    Apple has banned stuff from both their online and physical stores.



    And they have done it more than once.



    obviously anyone is free to stop selling any product for whatever reason.  Trying to figure out the real reason.  Amazon's explaination makes no sense.

    If they want to stop an issue with Amazon Video playback on Apple TV, they need to pull the App from the iOS Store.   Apple TV sales halting has nothing to do with it because Apple TV by itself can not play Amazon Video.  Same with Chromecast, as I understand it. Although, I have no experience with it to be sure.

  • Reply 12 of 163
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    msantti wrote: »
    Apple has banned stuff from both their online and physical stores.

    And they have done it more than once.

    Apple isn't a general purpose retailer. Their stores are in service of selling their own products. They could choose to not sell any 3rd party accessories if they wanted to.
  • Reply 13 of 163
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by snova View Post

     



    obviously anyone is free to stop selling any product for whatever reason.  Trying to figure out the real reason.  Amazon's explain makes no sense.

    If they want to stop issue with Amazon Video playback on Apple TV, they need to pull the App from the iOS Store.   Apple TV sales halting has nothing to do with it because Apple TV by itself can not play Amazon Video.  Same with Chromecast, as I understand it. Although, I have no experience with it to be sure.


     

    They are not trying to stop Amazon Video playback on the Apple TV.  They are trying to get ON the Apple TV with their video, which they currently are not on.  They are stopping sale of all streaming players, from whatever company, if those companies' players don't support Amazon streaming.   The thought is probably as a cudgel to get Apple to add an Amazon app to Apple TV.

     

    With the new SDK for tvOS, Amazon should be able to make their own app though.  Maybe they want to get on current gen Apple TVs

  • Reply 14 of 163
    dreyfus2dreyfus2 Posts: 1,072member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by msantti View Post





    Apple has banned stuff from both their online and physical stores.



    And they have done it more than once.

     

    There is a grave difference between "not selling something" and "banning" it. Every retailer can decide what he sells, what he gives shelf space to etc.

     

    The Amazon Marketplace has thousands of third party resellers, and it has a dominating position in many markets, while neither physical nor online Apple Stores have a dominating position in anything anywhere.

  • Reply 15 of 163
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    “Apple to halt hosting of Amazon apps”…? No? 


     

    Somewhere in their terms, I'm sure Apple has specific terms relating to the app store and competitors. They have highly specific terms on other things. For example some of their patent licensing terms for specific hardware are void if the licensing party initiates litigation against Apple on a related or unrelated matter. If this runs afoul of that kind of clause, then you would see Amazon apps disappear. Otherwise the two are unrelated, because no one runs a multi-billion dollar company on spite.

  • Reply 16 of 163
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member
    Another reason to not buy a Fire device or have Prime. Not that I needed one.
  • Reply 17 of 163
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,904member
    This is real lame thing to do by Amazon. This doesn't change what people will buy as streaming device and which service they will use. In fact, people will buy both devices somewhere else and still not going to be Amazon prime customer if they don't want to. Why not Amazon just write f**** APP for Apple TV and chromecast and put it on app-store and play-store just like Netflix, HuluPlus, etc, does. This way, Amazon prime customer can still use whatever streaming device they like and still use Amazon contents. Currently, Amazon prime streaming can work with and have no issues with Roku, XBOX,PS3,etc.
    This is good for Apple as people will buy new Apple TV straight from Apple or it's retail partners. With the upcoming Apple TV streaming, who cares about Amazon prime. Hopefully I will get local channels and alcarte kind package from Apple TV streaming service.
  • Reply 18 of 163

    Not sure I really understand this move.  Anyone looking for AppleTV will find where to buy it and typically they are looking for it by name and not stumbling across it on Amazon after typing in "streaming device" or something...It is really a non issue for me but kind of silly for them to eliminate these products.  I just do not see the upside for Amazon in doing this.

  • Reply 19 of 163
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    but Amazon is banning other merchants from selling AppleTV on Amazon also.  Thats were it gets messy.  


    I don't think that would be illegal since you have to agree to Amazon's TOS to sell on the Amazon marketplace. It's just like Ebay how they banned sales of the confederate flag. People weren't happy, but its their right to do so. Regardless, I think Amazon's decision is going to backfire for sure. 

  • Reply 20 of 163
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    snova wrote: »
    maybe all they are saying is...    Amazon Fire TV is not selling well.  Most people are watching Amazon Video via Apple products or Chromecast and this isn't helping Amazon as much as if people bought Amazon Fire TVs? 

    head scratcher...   

    The only people buying them are the ones that hack it to get free content.
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