Amazon has discounted every model in its Fire TV range ahead of a dramatic change to its Prime Video service, which will introduce ad breaks to the streamer for the first time.
These Fire TV models are designed by teams inside Amazon to showcase the best of Fire OS, the software that also powers its popular Fire TV Sticks and Fire Tablets. Fire OS supports dozens of streaming apps, including Netflix, Disney+, NOW, BBC iPlayer, and ITVX, to name just a few. It also boasts cloud gaming via Amazon Luna and a slew of fitness apps.
As you’d expect, Amazon’s Prime Video and Freevee services are placed front-and-centre in the interface. AI assistant Alexa can pause and rewind the action on-screen, search for shows and films, or control smart home devices like Ring video doorbells and smart lightbulbs.
Amazon’s Fire TV lineup is divided into three ranges — the 2-Series (available in 32” and 40”), 4-Series (43”, 50”, 55”), and the top-of-the-line Omni QLED Series (43”, 50”, 55”, 65”) — with prices usually starting from £249.99 and maxing-out at £999.
The biggest price cut can be found with the Omni QLED Series, with the flagship 65-inch TV dropping by £200 to £799.99. That’s a 20% discount.
Fire TV Omni Series is the only model that can be controlled with hands-free Alexa, so you can ask the telly to search for recommendations of new shows, films, and documentaries
AMAZON PRESS OFFICE
For that, you’ll get a QLED TV with a 4K resolution and support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+. It’s the only model with hands-free Alexa built-in, so you can bark commands to the chatty AI assistant without the need to find the remote down the back of the sofa.
The 50-inch Fire TV 4-Series has been slashed by 24%, dropping from an RRP of £499.99 to £379.99. The more affordable 4-Series keeps the 4K Ultra HD resolution, with support for standards HDR 10 and Dolby Digital Plus, although you’ll lose out on the more vivid colours found on a QLED panel, the flagship Dolby Vision IQ standard, and hands-free Alexa controls.
You’ll still be able to use Alexa on the Fire TV 4-Series — you’ll just need to hold the dedicated microphone button on the remote.
The full list of price cuts to the Fire TVs are as follows...
- Fire TV 2-Series (32”) Was
£249.99, NOW £239.99 - Fire TV 2-Series (40”) Was
£299.99, NOW £279.99 - Fire TV 4-Series (43”) Was
£429.99, NOW £349.99 - Fire TV 4-Series (50”) Was
£499.99, NOW £379.99 - Fire TV 4-Series (55”) Was
£549.99, NOW £429.99 - Fire TV Omni QLED Series (43”) Was
£549.99, NOW £449.99 - Fire TV Omni QLED Series (50”) Was
£649.99, NOW £529.99 - Fire TV Omni QLED Series (55”) Was
£749.99, NOW £599.99 - Fire TV Omni QLED Series (65”) Was
£999.99, NOW £799.99
The sale comes as Amazon is poised to bring ad breaks to its Prime Video streaming service. Launching in the UK and Germany one week after adverts made their debut in the United States, subscribers can expect to see ads play before films and TV show episodes.
If you want to skip the ad break, you’ll be able to pay an extra £2.99 top-up fee every month to quash the ads. That’s an extra £35.88 per year.
Prime Video costs £5.99 as a standalone subscription, but it’s also bundled as part of the Amazon Prime membership, which includes next-day delivery, music streaming, unlimited photo back-up, and thousands of Kindle ebooks and magazines to read. Prime membership costs £8.99 per month.
An annual subscription is also available, which costs £95 per year.
If you're already a Prime member, or in the middle of a 30-day free trial, you'll be able to enjoy next-day delivery at no extra cost on any of the Fire TV models above.
Amazon said it aims to have "meaningfully fewer ads than ad-supported TV channels and other streaming TV providers". Even with relatively fewer ad breaks, analysis from MoffettNathanson estimates that adverts in Prime Video will generate an additional $2 billion in revenue for Amazon by 2025.
