Sometimes Silicon Valley stops squabbling amongst itself. As of today, Amazon and Google have lifted the ban on each other’s rival video services.
That means there’s a YouTube app launching for Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick (second gen), with other Fire TV devices getting compatibility later this year, and owners of Google Chromecast, Chromecast built-in devices and Android TVs get full access to Amazon’s Prime Video service.
On Fire TV, the official YouTube app will show up in the ‘Your Apps and Channels’ and support playback in 4K HDR at 60fps plus Alexa voice control integration. YouTube Kids is coming later in 2019. Interestingly there’s no mention of YouTube on Amazon’s Echo Show smart display, one of the devices caught up in the tit-for-tat fight over the past few years between Google and Amazon. (We’ve asked Amazon to clarify this).
As for Prime Video, it is already available on some Android TV models, such as Sony’s, but this new detente means that Amazon’s subscription service will now feature as standard alongside Netflix and the rest. For existing Chromecast users looking to avoid TV FOMO and who have enough money for another monthly subscription, this will be welcome news.
The move isn’t a surprise – it’s been touted for months – but 18 months ago it looked much less likely. In December 2017, Google pulled the Fire TV YouTube app after coming to blows with Amazon over sales of Chromecasts (and other Google products) on Amazon’s online stores. Eighteen months is a long time, though, and with Disney+ and Apple TV+ looming, Amazon and Google will want to ensure their video streaming platforms are compatible with as many devices as possible.
This truce is less about selling low-cost streaming sticks and more about ensuring eyeballs as the streaming landscape shifts in late 2019 and 2020. Disney Plus is set to launch in the US on November 12, with no word of a UK launch as yet.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
