That willingness to work together is paying off for customers, as Amazon on Tuesday rolled out updates to its Fire TV and Fire TV Stick to make the devices even better for Netflix, HBO Go, and HBO Now users.
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The new Universal Search will be expanded over 75 apps and channels, customers can use their voice to search across popular apps like Netflix using the Amazon Fire remote. This means you don’t have to go digging in each app just to find what you’re looking for.
The Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are getting a software update today that brings more powerful search features, fixing the platform’s most criticized features. The update adds big names like Netflix and HBO Go, bringing the number of search compatible apps or channels to 75. No sweat. Those who subscribe to popular services like Netflix or HBO will now see personalized recommendations in rows right on the Fire TV home page. These features will be enabled automatically as part of a free, over-the-air software update now being delivered to customers.
It now stands at over 100,000 reviews with Amazon claiming it to be the best selling streaming media player in the US.
Amazon didn’t save the new features exclusively for other content providers, as Alexa now has improved functionality for Amazon Video as well.
Amazon might be in competition with companies like Netflix and HBO when it comes to digital video, but it also sells hardware, so the companies end up cooperating a fair amount of the time. Say “skip ahead 2 minutes” to jump past the opening credits. Say “rewind 30 seconds”. In addition, Alexa will also now be able to provide sports updates for sports and games directly relative to your interests or favorite teams. You can choose which teams to get updates from via the settings in the Alexa app.
“At Netflix, we are always seeking new ways to help connect people with stories they’ll love”, Scott Mirer, Netflix device partner ecosystem vice president, said.
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Amazon Fire TV is the #1 selling streaming media player in the United States across all retailers, and Fire TV Stick is the most reviewed product in Amazon history with more than 100,000 customer reviews. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.
