If Google does start a live cable service (like Vue, Sling, soon Hulu, etc), then you will see Google do a major push on Android TV. The problem now is that Google is letting the manufactures determine the future of Android TV (Google tends to do that with most of their services, and they are very willing to pull the plug or let their services slowly die. That is Google strategy: Budget so much money and resources to start something, and then let others prove if it is worth additional money and resources).

Either way, Amazon will probably go onto Android TV eventually. Not only because Amazon doesn't want Google TV OS to go away (their Fire OS is just their own face on the Android TV OS) but also Amazon only made their device to launch their real money maker, Amazon Prime. Prime is now popular enough that they can put it on competing devices, as we can see with Shield. It will probably do like Vudu and launch first on the Shield and then make its way onto the other devices.

I really don't care about Amazon's video services at all, and I have Amazon Prime and TVs and boxes that provide it. It seems silly to me to suggest that an entire product line would fail because a single video service is not on it.

People predicted Android and Chromecast would fail too.

Android TV will be fine. Early adopters are just unfortunately going to take the burden for now.

Am I alone in thinking if Amazon doesnt get on all Android TV devices and not just the Shield that Android TV doesnt have a future.

Yes. You are alone on that.

Android Tv is killing it. Amazon app or not.

Apple TV exclusively has iTunes. Amazon exclusively* has Prime. Google exclusively* has Google Play.

Yet people are buying all of these devices. Ecosystem lock-in can be a pain for many consumers, yet the smart TV market potential is pretty huge and I doubt the lack of one would destroy the whole platform.

If there is a clear winner, which I actually don't think we'll see one, the others will race to get their apps on there. If Android TV was going to die, I'm sure Google would get their Play apps onto Apple TV and Amazon TV so they can get some revenue and users.

But I have Amazon Video on my Sony AndroidTV. What am I missing?

The big thing that pushed me towards Android TV over other platforms was HDHomeRun support. Roku and the Fire TV still don't have native support or support for the HDHomeRun app. It looks like you can sideload the APK onto a Fire TV since it's Android-based but that's still a hassle compared to getting it from the Play Store. It's even nicer now on Android TV with Nougat and native HDHomeRun support with DVR functionality in the built-in Live Channels app. Amazon Video is just a bonus for me at this point. I'd rather miss out/acquire that content elsewhere than miss my HDHomeRun.

I use my Android TV daily. I've never had any desire to put anything from Amazon on it.

Apple TV doesn't have Amazon Video either. You can Airplay it from a phone/tablet though.

Android TV is dead/dying/etc. because Google doesn't promote it.

Since a way has been worked out to get Amazon on the most expensive Android TV platform,s The Shield and the TV sets. I think Amazon won't be the reason if Android TV crashes and burns. If anything Google based apathy will kill it. I just wish Google would do more to market the platform and not depend on the partners so much.