Amazon has taken the controversial step of removing media-streaming devices from Apple and Google from its online store.
Well, the Chromecast and Apple TV haven’t been scrubbed yet, but from 29 October even third-party sellers on Amazon’s marketplace won’t be allowed to offer the devices.
Why not? Because they don’t “interact well” with Amazon’s own Prime Video service.
“Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime. It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.”
It’s a risky move for Amazon: is this protecting its customers from confusion, or providing them with a lesser experience?
“This has the potential to hurt Amazon as much as it does Apple and Google,” Parks Associates analyst Barbara Kraus told Bloomberg. “As a retailer, I want to give people a reason to come to me. When I take out best-selling brands, I take away those reasons.”
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…