Apple and Amazon have been fierce competitors in the video space for several years now, making the possibility of an Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video partnership rather unlikely—much to the chagrin of Amazon Prime Video customers. Times are changing, and Apple is ready to change with them. At the 2017 World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) Apple finally announced that the recent rumors are true—Amazon and Apple have reached an agreement that will bring Amazon Prime Video to the Apple TV.
The two companies have a history of serious competition. Amazon even went so far as to ban Apple TV products, and third party Apple TV-adjacent products, from sale on their website. That ban, that has been in place for nearly two years, is getting lifted as well. That’s right, the two companies are now playing nice and not only will you be able to watching your Prime Videos on your Apple TV, but you’ll be able to use Amazon.com to purchase an Apple TV if you have yet to invest!
This tumultuous history made the Apple TV compatibility rumors that Recode reported on last month all the more surprising. When BuzzFeed News later reported the same story, many became optimistic that the deal would come to fruition. Now it has!
“We are so pleased to welcome Amazon to Apple TV,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook, after a brief mention of the company’s TV app at WWDC 2017.
Amazon Video expressed a similar sentiment from its Twitter account, saying “You asked (a lot). We listened. Amazon Prime Video is coming to the TV App and all Apple TVs this year.”
While Cook did not provide a solid release date for the compatibility update, he did say it would be coming later this year. Recode reports that their sources say that we can expect to see this new feature publically available during Q3 of 2017. Until then, Amazon Prime Video customers will have to continue using the AirPlay workaround to watch Amazon video content on their Apple TV.
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