There is no fee for purchases that don't use Google's payment processor. Unlike Apple (don't know about Amazon) if the content can be consumed outside the app, so on another platform, you can use your own payment method = no fee
According to one in the peanut gallery, Google's vig that was the big barrier would have now been 15%, not 30 for video purchases. In any case I wonder if they end up losing money by their forked strategy instead of volume app distribution through the Play Store.
The reason why Amazon has not released an Amazon Video app into the Google Play Store for all Android TV devices is they don’t want to be forced to give Google 30% of all purchases done through the app.
So provide us a sideloadtag option or an easier way to add Amazon as a source
Will this app become available for us 1st Gen Shield users?
Tangentially related, but:
If the Shield running AndroidTV can get an Amazon Prime Video app is there any hope for the Mi Box?
Maybe they don't see the new Shield at its price point as a direct competitor to their own FireTV hardware the way the Mi Box selling for 70 dollars and available at Walmart is?
If I were Amazon I wouldn't be concerned with turning a profit on hardware sales. I would just try to grow my number of Prime Video subscribers any way I could.
I thought I was replacing my FireStickTV with the MiBox entirely, but not only is there no Amazon video app, I can't even use my HBOGo login from Xfinity on AndroidTV because they actively block the AndroidTV platform. (fuck Comcast)
Damn. I was really hoping for a nice slick UI. But it's just the same app that the Sony Android TV has, just with 4K support.
This UI looks like ass. Also no voice search support, so typing out searches 1 key at a time. Fun.