【2009 Archives】

Soon009 Archives you might be able to watch Amazon Prime shows on an Amazon TV. Hooray?

According to a new report from Insider, Amazon has been working on Amazon-branded TVs for the last two years.

There are two versions in the works: One made by a third party, TCL, that will carry Amazon branding and be integrated with Alexa. And a second TV that Amazon engineers are reportedly developing in-house.

The former could come out as soon as October. There isn't pricing information available yet, but they'll reportedly be 55-75 inches.

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It's easy to see why the prospect of watching Amazon TV shows via an Amazon Prime subscription on an Amazon device itself is attractive to the company. As its (possibly anti-trust law violating) Amazon Basics line shows, there's nothing Amazon loves more than that sweet, sweet vertical integration.

Plus, just as the Amazon website showcases AmazonBasics products, an Amazon TV could place Prime movies and shows front and center. Apple doesn't have an actual TV, but the AppleTV interface certainly places Apple TV+, as well as Apple Music and other Apple media options, right at the top of its menu.

Why Amazon wants a TV is clear. But, even if it's an affordable, attractive product, should you? This is the company that has turned home security Ring devices into a surveillance network for the police. It collects mountains of data on users in order to sell us as many products as possible. Alexa has been known to eavesdrop. Forgive us if giving the corporation yet another physical anchor in the home doesn't sound like an exciting opportunity to us.

Amazon already makes a Fire TV stick, a TV attachment, and remote that serves as an Amazon-powered streaming app platform. It's not clear whether an actual Amazon TV would use the same interface. It has actually already dipped its toes into branded TVs, too. It released an AmazonBasics TV in December 2020, but it was only available in India. That device cost about $410.

But, apparently, the TV project hasn't been smooth sailing. The Insider co-reporter of the piece, Ben Bergman, tweeted that " the rollout has been beset with logistical bottlenecks."

Will Amazon get its TV out in time for holiday shopping? Considering how much Amazon and Jeff Bezos absolutely love money, it's probably a safe bet to take.