After a two-year absence, Apple TV set-top box and Google Chromecast have made their way back on Amazon.com. First reported by CNET, listings for both products have made it back to Amazon, but you can’t order them just yet.
We reached out to Amazon and a spokesperson said that “I can confirm that we are asserting Apple TV and Chromecast.”
Both Chromecast and Apple TV were pulled from Amazon back in late 2015. Their justification was that consumes would be confused and frustrated if they purchased streaming devices from its platform and didn’t offer a more convenient way to view Amazon Prime Video. For Apple, this impasse lasted until earlier this month with the company finally released a Prime Video app for the Apple TV.
For Amazon’s feud with Google, it’s a bit more interesting. Amazon Video still doesn’t support exactly support Chromecast, for one, and the second reason is a bit more complex. Google is upset with Amazon for failing to support Google Cast and for Amazon’s refusal to sell Google-branded products and some newer devices from Nest. Things got pretty ugly quickly. For example, if you were to ask Echo to add Chromecast, it would put Fire Stick in your cart instead. Google pulled YouTube from Echo Show in retaliation, and also said it will remove the app from Fire TV streaming starting January 1st, 2018.
Amazon revisiting the sales of Chromecast is a way of trying to defuse the situation with Google and avoid further escalation. Google, in its part, may keep support for Fire TV owners to have YouTube on there. Whatever the case, the two companies have worked together to fight FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to kill net neutrality, which took place earlier today in a 3-2 vote.
