Amazon Video could soon arrive on Apple TV, if a new report is to be believed.
Apple TV has always had a strong showing of supported content, but Amazon Video has always been missing from the roster. The working theory has always been that Amazon declined to join Apple TV on account of the device being a direct competitor to its own Fire TV platform. Worse still, Amazon stopped selling Apple TV models with the most recent generation’s launch.
However, a report by Recode suggests that Amazon Video will finally arrive on Apple TV later this year. The article cites “people familiar with the two companies”, and says: “Amazon employees expect the app to show up on Apple’s hardware in the third quarter of the year.”
Until now, it’s been impossible for Prime subscribers to directly watch Amazon Video on Apple TV. However, a workaround was possible, whereby you could connect and stream content over Wi-Fi using AirPlay – a headache for users, assuredly.
The Apple TV first launched back in 2007, and is now in its fourth generation as of 2015. We gave the Apple TV (2015) a 4/5 in our review, praising the simple interface, useful and effective Siri Remote, and brilliant voice search and controls. However, despite our positive early impressions, our enjoyment of the product waned over time, as our reviewer explained:
“Considering it has been out for over a year now, the latest Apple TV hasn’t been quite the do-all addition to my television setup I had hoped for. In-fact, little has really changed with Apple’s streamer and the competition has not only got cheaper, but significantly more appealing with 4K content.”
Amazon Video, meanwhile, launched back in 2006 as “Amazon Unbox”, and eventually turned into Amazon Instant Video on Demand as part of the Prime subscription. It’s now called Amazon Video, and serves most countries globally – except for a few outliers like mainland China, North Korea, and Syria.
Amazon didn’t sell the fourth-generation Apple TV, and stopped selling third-generation units in October 2015. At the 2016 Code Conference, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos talked about the decision to stop selling the Apple TV, explaining that it was because Amazon Video wasn’t supported:
“We want our player, our Prime Video player, to be on the device, and we want it to be on the device with acceptable business terms. And so, you can always get the player on the device; the question is can you do so with acceptable business terms? And if you can’t, then we don’t want to sell it to our customers, because they’re going to be buying it thinking they can watch Prime Video and then they’re going to be disappointed. And then they’re going to return it.”
Related: Best TV
What’s your favourite way to watch television in this modern age? Good old cable, a streaming stick, your tablet, or maybe even through a virtual reality headset? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
