Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

> How come Amazon video isn't available on Apple TV or Chromecast?

In the case of Chromecast, because Amazon hasn't built an app that uses the Chromecast API, because -- the same as the move here -- Amazon wants to use its position to promote and sell its own hardware that competes with Chromecast.

Its not like Google prevents Amazon from using the Chromecast SDK the same as anyone else.

Yeah, as I said I don't know the exact border of legality. I wouldn't be surprised if: a) This would only be an issue in the EU, and Amazon is sticking to blocking on .com. b) The wording of the law is intentionally vague ("Such that a reasonable person would expect..." etc.) and Amazon believes to either be in the clear or that at least the risk/reward is good enough.

To name another example of "kinda maybe I'm not sure"-legality. Supermarket home-brands. I remember a few years a go here in the Netherlands there was a price war going on between supermarkets and the producers were caught in the middle, and as a result of ever-dropping prices they did start to complain that it was anti-competitive to allow supermarkets to also be producers as in an ideal market it would be impossible for the producers to offer the same price-point for the same products. I don't believe it went anywhere, but I do feel they kinda have a point. Although I wouldn't be for banning supermarkets from having their own brand (not that it would really be possible anyway, given modern corporate structures).

It's easy to paint Amazon as the bad actor here...and, they are. But, I think Google and Apple are also bad actors in this situation. The reason Google and Apple TV devices have a bad Amazon Prime experience, I suspect, is because they want a huge cut of revenue from Amazon Prime viewership (just as they expect a huge cut of revenue for anything sold on their platform), and they aren't being reasonable about getting it. The notion that these services can be profitable, can pay creators a reasonable amount, and can be offered at a fair price to consumers, while also paying massive rents to the platform owners is questionable, at best. If your margins are razor thin, having a company demand 30% for that last mile to the customer is probably not sustainable.

Amazon is not faultless, but it is bad actors all around in this situation. Somebody needs to break the 30% model. I don't think this move from Amazon will do it for the industry as a whole (though Apple and Google might work on a compromise specifically with Amazon), but I understand entirely why they're doing it. They're facing off against the biggest bullies in the world, who are demanding Amazon's lunch money in the media market (not that Amazon is treating anyone that much better on their own platform).

This move really saddens me. When I left Netscape to work at Amazon one of the things that I was excited about was a quote from Jeff. "Focus on the customer, not competition." It seems they hve forgotten that.

I found it frustrating when I couldn't stream Prime videos to my android phone (is stock android that different from the version on Fire?)

I found it frustrating (but understandable) when they said they wouldn't support Google TV anymore. (Although the 'support' was letting me watch videos in Chrome).

Now this? It seems like they have forgotten completely about the customer and are focusing solely on the competition.

> But doesn't Google have some monetization plans for the chromecast ?

Well, sure, you pay Google for the device -- that's fairly direct monetization.

And it increases the utility of (and thus the demand for) content from and subscriptions to Google's audio/video services (whose mobile apps all support Chromecast), so its monetized indirectly that way.

Other than that, its adoption drives app developer adoption and user familiarity for Google Cast, which, aside from its use in Chromecast, is a key feature of Android TV, which Google monetizes not just by selling hardware direct to consumers, but also via its cut of apps in the Play Store, and by (presumably) getting paid by Smart TV manufacturers to use Android TV as their Smart TV OS.