Amazon Prime Video is already the most popular Apple TV app at launch

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited April 2018
After just a few days on the tvOS App Store, the Amazon Prime Video app for Apple TV is already the most popular download ever at launch, revealing just how pent-up demand was for the service.




Edging out the likes of Netflix and Hulu, Amazon Prime Video for tvOS is now the most-downloaded Apple TV app at launch, according to BestAppleTV and later confrimed by TechCrunch.

Update: The original report has since been updated to say that Amazon Prime Video was the most popular Apple TV app at launch, and not all-time. This story has been updated to reflect that.

Amazon Prime Video debuted for the Apple TV earlier this month, as both a tvOS App Store download for the fourth- and fifth-generation hardware, and an automatic app install on the third-generation set-top box. Because it was specified as a downloadable app, the popularity of Amazon's service applies to tvOS installs, meaning customers specifically chose to install the app.

The service is included with Prime, which offers two-day shipping on many items ordered via Amazon. Amazon Prime Video is home to a number of exclusive programs and films, including "The Man in the High Castle," "The Big Sick," "Catastrophe," and "The Grand Tour."





Notably, the Amazon Prime Video app for tvOS boasts integration with Apple's proprietary TV app for tvOS and iOS, as well as Siri voice search results. Customers in select countries can find movies and TV shows to watch on Amazon through these services.

The debut of Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV was a long time coming. Interested in pushing its own streaming devices like the Fire TV, the online retailer dragged its feet in supporting tvOS, requiring users to instead load content on an iPhone or iPad and then AirPlay it to an Apple TV.

The launch earlier this month a years-long dispute between Amazon and Apple, after the company ceased sales of the Apple TV in favor of its own Fire TV lineup in 2015. With Prime Video now on the Apple TV, Amazon is set to resume sales of the Apple TV.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member
    hopefully they are fixing the bugs soon (no multichannel, and does not properly support auto detect for frame rate and color space). Great watching The Grand Tour on it nonetheless...
    hodar
  • Reply 2 of 14
    hodarhodar Posts: 357member
    I find it amazing that Amazon Prime, which is technically FREE, offers more quality movies, than Netflix which charges me more per year, than Amazon Prime costs.  Add to that the made for Amazon movies and series, the fact that I can watch all 7 seasons of GoT, Westworld and other "Premium" channel specials - Netflix certainly falls short in comparison.
  • Reply 3 of 14
    sanssans Posts: 58member
    hodar said:
    I find it amazing that Amazon Prime, which is technically FREE, [...]
    I am not understanding the "technically free".
    edited December 2017 randominternetpersonpscooter63StrangeDaysdws-2
  • Reply 4 of 14
    sans said:
    hodar said:
    I find it amazing that Amazon Prime, which is technically FREE, [...]
    I am not understanding the "technically free".
    I assume Hodor means "since I bought Amazon Prime to get free shipping, the movies and other stuff are essentiallyfree (for me)."  In other words, it's not free, technically or otherwise.
    edited December 2017 jbdragonStrangeDaysRayz2016
  • Reply 5 of 14
    bellsbells Posts: 140member
    hodar said:
    I find it amazing that Amazon Prime, which is technically FREE, offers more quality movies, than Netflix which charges me more per year, than Amazon Prime costs.  Add to that the made for Amazon movies and series, the fact that I can watch all 7 seasons of GoT, Westworld and other "Premium" channel specials - Netflix certainly falls short in comparison.

    To each their own, but I think Netflix has better content overall. Sure Amazon ocassionaly gets some better movies and the HBO content is nice, but I still use Netflix much more.

    I downloaded the Amazon Apple TV app, and I used it once. I honestly couldn’t find much I hadn’t watched else place already.
     
    Also Netflix's App works much better.
    jbdragonboltsfan17dws-2
  • Reply 6 of 14
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    Personally I think Netflix has far better Original Content then Amazon Prime. I really haven't watch much on Amazon. The last thing I saw was the first season of Man on the high Castle. There's so many great Original series on Netflix though. Hulu, I don't give a crap about. Amazon App really needs some work. It's never been great on the other platforms it's really not better on the Apple TV, in fact it's worse in some area's like with the audio.
  • Reply 7 of 14
    "According to TechCrunch"? No, according to BESTAppleTV.com.
  • Reply 8 of 14
    hodar said:
    I find it amazing that Amazon Prime, which is technically FREE, offers more quality movies, than Netflix which charges me more per year, than Amazon Prime costs.  Add to that the made for Amazon movies and series, the fact that I can watch all 7 seasons of GoT, Westworld and other "Premium" channel specials - Netflix certainly falls short in comparison.
    Nope. Pretty sure we explained this already on the last Prime article -- you can NOT watch HBO content on Prime without paying the same $15/mo as everybody using the stand-alone HBO app. Prime just acts as an optional conduit for HBO content. And considering it's a better experience in HBO Go/Now, I don't know why you'd want to use the Prime app for it rather than the source.

    As for original content, Amazon has some, Netflix has some. I wouldn't say Amazon's is obviously better.

    Lastly, Prime is not "technically free". You're paying for it.
    edited December 2017
  • Reply 9 of 14
    Any news on the Amazon Prime video app getting 5.1 sound?

    Also, I really wish both this one and Netflix would abandon the bargain bin UI. The experience really is like digging through those big bins of clearance-priced DVDs in a big box store. There is so much seriously non-premium content piled on top of a few tidbits of actual interest, and all in a haphazard, nonsensical heap. Sometimes it makes a person wonder if this is really such an improvement over days of yore with four channels over the air and the entire week's schedule printed in the Friday newspaper.
  • Reply 10 of 14
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    hodar said:
    I find it amazing that Amazon Prime, which is technically FREE, offers more quality movies, than Netflix which charges me more per year, than Amazon Prime costs.  Add to that the made for Amazon movies and series, the fact that I can watch all 7 seasons of GoT, Westworld and other "Premium" channel specials - Netflix certainly falls short in comparison.
    Well, Amazon doubled the cost of Amazon Prime a couple of years ago when they forced those who want next day delivery to effectively subsidise it.

    Personally i’d rather go back to £39 a year without the video service.
  • Reply 11 of 14
    kevin keekevin kee Posts: 1,289member
    hodar said:
    I find it amazing that Amazon Prime, which is technically FREE, offers more quality movies, than Netflix which charges me more per year, than Amazon Prime costs.  Add to that the made for Amazon movies and series, the fact that I can watch all 7 seasons of GoT, Westworld and other "Premium" channel specials - Netflix certainly falls short in comparison.
    These are not available in Australia, let alone for free, hence it's a bit useless outside of US. Meanwhile, Netflix catalogue is pretty much accessible.
  • Reply 12 of 14
    hodar said:
    I find it amazing that Amazon Prime, which is technically FREE, offers more quality movies, than Netflix which charges me more per year, than Amazon Prime costs.  Add to that the made for Amazon movies and series, the fact that I can watch all 7 seasons of GoT, Westworld and other "Premium" channel specials - Netflix certainly falls short in comparison.
    Nope. Pretty sure we explained this already on the last Prime article -- you can NOT watch HBO content on Prime without paying the same $15/mo as everybody using the stand-alone HBO app. 
    Actually you are both somewhat wrong. Prime does include some HBO content. Several older shows, like The Sopranos, are (were?) available without paying extra for HBO. GoT & Westworld were only available with a paid HBO subscription.
  • Reply 13 of 14
    The app is meh.
    I live in Germany and the UI is in German even though my AppleTV is set to English and region USA. There are no settings to change that. The settings menu is a joke - there is nothing to set, apart children lock.
    No multi channel audio (for real??) and all this mixing of prime and non-prime content, you cannot rent or buy within the app itself.
    Whatever....
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