The Apple TV is a well-rounded set-top streaming machine, provided you don’t need access to Amazon Video. The competitive rivalry between the two companies has caused Amazon to keep its streaming service off the Apple TV, but a new report suggests that could be about to change.
Recode has spoken to sources who suggest that Amazon and Apple are “close to a deal” to bring a streaming app to the Apple TV. If things go to plan, the app should go live in the fall.
Any deal is likely to involve Amazon putting the Apple TV back on sale on the Amazon online store. Amazon pulled the Apple TV from its store two years ago, saying that it didn’t want to sell a streaming box that wasn’t compatible with its own services. Amazon is an important retailer for set-top boxes, and the lack of availability of the Apple TV hurts it against Chromecast, Roku, and Amazon’s own Fire TV stick.
For Amazon, a discussion over Apple’s revenue split in the App Store could be up for discussion. Currently, Amazon doesn’t offer “in-app purchases” or subscription purchases through its iOS apps, because doing so would mean that Apple gets a cut of every subscription sold, every movie rented or every Kindle book bought. Apple has been loath to change those terms in the past, but some kind of deal could be worked out in private that would bring Amazon to the Apple TV.
