Free, ad-supportedstreaming TV services- or FAST services as they’ve become known - are becoming exceptionally popular of late. Amazon offers its own free, ad-supported streaming service in the form of the Fire TV Channels app, which acts as a hub for free, one-stop content for those who own aFire TV or a Fire TV streaming stick. The question is though, what are Fire TV Channels, how do you watch them and how do you get them? We’re here to help explain.
What are Fire TV Channels?
Fire TV Channels first launched inMay of 2023to serve as the go-to FAST hub for Amazon’s US customers - thinkThe Roku Channel, but exclusively for Fire TV devices instead.
The Five TV Channels app boasts more than 400 providers that have made their content available on the platform so far in the form of linear streams as well as on-demand video. You’ll find feeds, shows, and clips from the empires of Disney, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Fox, Major League Baseball (MLB), Martha Stewart, Condé Nast, and a myriad others. It’s definitely a convenience booster for Fire TV set and stick owners who are looking for stuff to watch. Amazon has promised users will be able to access “thousands of live and on-demand videos across news, sports, entertainment, cooking, travel, gaming, and more”, with “new videos added throughout the day”.
On the business side, many of these publishers will also have distributed channels through Amazon’s competitors, including the aforementioned Roku, as well as the likes ofPluto TVand Tubi. Creating its own FAST hub for what’s essentially a captive audience in terms of hardware allows Amazon to attract publishers and negotiate revenue sharing models when it comes to ads.
What content is available through the Fire TV Channels app?
As mentioned, there are over 400 providers offered on the Fire TV Channels app. Here is a breakdown of some of the key content offered by the Fire TV Channels app so far, though keep in mind more content is added regularly:
How to access Fire TV Channels
You’ll most likely be browsing Fire TV Channels content through the dedicated app that wasintroduced in August. It has its own range of suggestion carousels as well as category silos. That said, you’ll find Amazon sprinkling in content from Fire TV Channels into your suggestions across Fire TV OS. To open the Fire TV Channels app, you can do either of the following:
Individual series or titles from Fire TV Channel providers can be found in theFreesection.
As a reminder, you’ll be able to access Fire TV Channel content if you’re on a Fire TV device - whether that’s a full-on panel or an attached dongle - and are in the United States. It’s not clear if Amazon is interested in bringing Fire TV Channels to other countries as yet, but we will update this feature with any further information as and when it becomes available.
