Amazon announced on Wednesday it has incorporated two cable streaming TV alternatives into its live TV section on Amazon Fire TV devices.
The two services, Google-owned YouTube TV and Dish Network-owned Sling TV, are now integrated into the Amazon Fire TV live section and associated live TV guide along other streaming services, including Philo, ViacomCBS-owned Pluto TV and premium movie networks sold through Amazon Prime Video’s channels service.
“This update makes it easier to browse live TV channels across different apps in the Fire TV experience,” Amazon executive Amy Shotwell wrote in a blog post. “It also offers a single destination to discover live content within the Live tab, so that you can check out what’s on now from nearly 20 integrated live TV apps and providers.”
The announcement said Disney’s Hulu with Live TV would be joining the other two dozen integrated apps at a later date.
The inclusion of streaming cable channels from Sling TV, YouTube TV (and eventually Hulu with Live TV) alongside similar channels offered by Philo, Pluto TV and others gives users hundreds of live channels to choose from.
It also makes tuning to channels easier with Amazon’s smart assistant Alexa, which is found in the company’s Fire tablets, Echo smart speakers and other devices.
Amazon Fire TV holds 29 percent of the streaming television hardware market in the United States, putting it only slightly behind hardware manufacturer Roku but well ahead of rival devices made by Apple and Google.
