Google and Amazon have ended what was essentially a Silicon Valley cold war in regard to video streaming, agreeing to integrate each other’s apps into their respective video ecosystems.
Under the agreement, the flagship YouTube app—which was pulled from Amazon’s devices in 2017—will be re-integrated into Amazon Fire TV OTT devices, as well as smart TVs powered by Fire TV. YouTube Kids and the YouTube TV vMVPD app will also be integrated into the Fire TV ecosystem later this year, the announcement said.
Conversely, users of Chromecast OTT dongles, devices with Chromecast built in, and Android TV-based devices, will have access to Amazon Prime Video.
It’s not included in the press release the two companies put out this morning, but Amazon is also once again selling Chromecast—the product had previously been unavailable in the world’s biggest online store.
“Bringing our flagship YouTube experience to Amazon Fire TV gives our users even more ways to watch the videos and creators they love,” said Heather Rivera, global head of product partnerships at YouTube, in a statement.
Added Andrew Bennett, head of worldwide business development for Prime Video. “Whether watching the latest season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, catching teams go head-to-head on Thursday Night Football or renting a new-release movie, customers will have even more ways to stream what they want, whenever they want, no matter where they are.”
