PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is set to launch in the UK priced at £35.
It is available for pre-order now and the device will ship on April 15th. After this date it will also be stocked by John Lewis, a spokesperson for the retailer confirmed to PCR.
As a smaller version of the Fire TV box, the new Fire TV Stick is the etailer’s answer to Google’s Chromecast. It plugs into a TV’s HDMI port and connects wirelessly to the web, allowing users to view videos including TV episodes, movies, songs and games from Amazon’s catalogue.
Users can tap into libraries from the likes of Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Vimeo, Spotify, Vevo, Dailymotion plus more. They can also stream movies and TV shows from their Fire tablet or smartphone to the Fire TV Stick.
Those who are subscribed to Amazon Prime, or sign up for a 30-day free trial, will be able to get the device for a reduced price of £19.
New customers who then sign up to a £79-per-year Prime membership will be refunded an extra £12, meaning they will only pay £7 for a Fire TV stick.
Amazon has said that this is it’s the most successful device launch ever, however it has not shared the number of units sold.
"Customer response to Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick has been overwhelming–we’ve been working hard to build more of both as quickly as possible, and we’re excited to be adding new features we think customers will love," said Peter Larsen, VP of Amazon Devices.
"In the UK and Germany, Fire TV is already the best-selling streaming media box on Amazon, and we’re thrilled to be bringing our fastest-selling Amazon device ever – Fire TV Stick – to the UK and Germany. We think millions of customers in the UK and Germany are going to love this product."
In other Amazon-related news: Amazon recently opened a store on rival marketplace Tmall in China.
