Amazon has just fired a huge shot in the current online streaming war it's fighting with Apple and Google. The Ecommerce giant has just announced that it will no longer sell the two companies' media streaming devices; the Apple TV and Chromecast.
Amazon says that the decision was made because neither device interacts well with its Prime Video streaming service.
A user on Reddit by the name of MasterCh13f was the first to break the news, publishing an email sent by Amazon to its various partner merchants. It reads:
Dear Seller,
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.
The message then singles out the Apple TV, Chromecast, and Nexus Player as devices on the chopping block.
It tells sellers:
Effective immediately, you may no longer create new listings for these products, and as of 10/29/15, any existing listings for these products will be removed. There will be no adverse impact on your seller account for the removal, but we request that you refrain from relisting removed products.
The letter concludes by indicating that other streaming devices, such as the Roku, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 are not subject to this change.
The decision is bizarre seeing as the Chromecast and Apple TV are the second and fourth best-selling media streaming devices on Amazon at the moment. The move has been lambasted by many in the tech world as being both anti-competitive and anti-consumer.
Wired magazine published this quote from Jackdaw Research CEO Jan Dawson:
"For all that Amazon is dressing this up as providing the best customer experience, it certainly looks like an anti-competitive move, and goes against Amazon's reputation as the 'everything store.'"
