Amazon is good for a lot of things, from offering up top quality scripted programming to delivering just about anything you could (legally) want in the world, usually in a short amount of time. They’re also getting pretty good at squashing the competition, as there are a few notable things that Amazon will not be delivering to people anymore. Anyone who wants to find Apple TV or Google’s Chromecast adapter will have to look elsewhere soon, as the shipping giant will no longer be selling them.
Amazon isn’t getting rid of every single other streaming device, mind you, and it looks like those two are only joined by the Nexus Player in getting snipped from the website. The plan is for everything to be gone from by October 29 of this year. Understandably, it all has to do with what services are compatible with Amazon Prime’s video streaming platform. Here’s what Amazon Services said about it in an email to sellers, according to Bloomberg.
Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime. It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.
They go on to say that Roku, XBOX and PlayStation products all go well with Amazon Prime Video, so there’s no reason to worry about not being able to find them in the future. Oh, and you can still find Amazon Fire sticks, naturally.
We’re definitely not in a place to actively judge Amazon for this decision, as their business team obviously has good reasons for cutting Apple TV and Chromecast out. But it’s still a small slap in the face to customers, specifically those who aren’t even Prime subscribers in the first place, but would want these devices for Netflix or other streaming services. Amazon clearly wants people to think of Prime as a frontrunner in the streaming game, and it’s up there, but there are ways to go about achieving success without alienating other companies.
For one, they could figure out a way to work with Apple and Google to make sure that Prime Video is compatible with them. It’s possible that there are problems standing in the way of agreements like that, but Amazon probably wouldn’t say it if there were any. We’ll just have to wait and see if there are any changes in the future.
There’s good reason for Amazon to try and rope in as many subscribers as possible, considering how big its programming slate is getting. Beyond the award-winning Transparent, the service has the acclaimed Mozart in the Jungle currently on there, and the near future will see the 1980s dramedy Red Oaks and the Philip K. Dick adaptation The Man in the High Castle popping up. They recently ordered up Bryan Cranston’s Sneaky Pete, a new series from the Top Gear hosts and a new Jack Ryan project, so things are only getting better on their end.
