Amazon, on Thursday, introduced the Live TV Streaming feature for Fire TV devices in India, making it easier for customers to discover live channels from their favorite content providers. The new Live TV Streaming feature introduces a ‘Live’ tab on the navigation panel and an ‘On Now’ row on the Fire TV home screen, making it easier to find, browse and access live content from subscribed apps.
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Fire TV and Fire TV Edition users in India are getting a new Live tab. As mentioned, the rollout has begun from today and it will be completed over the next few weeks. For new customers, the Live tab will be available within a few weeks after the device is activated. Amazon has initially partnered with SonyLIV, Voot, Discovery+, and NexG TV, whose channels will show up under the Live tab. The company said in a press release that it will integrate live content from Zee5 soon.
“With Live TV integration we are making this experience even better by providing instant access to popular, real-time content for our customers without having to switch inputs,” said Parag Gupta, Head of Amazon Devices, India, in a statement.
SonyLIV, Voot, Discovery+, NextG TV, and Zee5 (coming soon) are the first content providers to integrate their Live TV experience. The apps will collectively give customers access to popular channels including Sony SAB HD, Colors HD, SET HD, Nick HD+, Dangal, DD National, News18 India, MTV Beats HD, SONY BBC Earth HD, Mastii TV Music, Discovery, and very soon to Zee TV, Zee Cinema and Zee News. Customers who have downloaded and subscribed to any of the integrated apps on their Fire TV devices will see the ‘On Now’ row on their home screen. A red bar at the bottom of each thumbnail will indicate the real-time progress of the show. Customers can also access their favorite channels by simply saying, for instance, “Alexa, Watch Colors HD”.
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With the new Live TV feature, customers will also have quick and easy access to the Fire TV channel guide, accessible in the ‘Options’ row of the ‘Live’ tab. For newly launched Fire TV Lite customers, channel guide can be accessed through the guide button on their Alexa Voice Remote Lite. This integrated channel guide allows customers to choose their favorite channels and browse what’s on now.
Manish Aggarwal, Head – Growth and Monetization, Digital Business, Sony Pictures Networks India said, “SonyLIV’s content reaches premium households who also happen to be the evolved consumer group for Amazon Fire TV, hence this collaboration is a win-win for both the brands. Connected TV being the future, we are glad to be a part of the launch of the Live TV feature in India and bundle our offerings in the best interest of consumers. With the Live TV functionality, Amazon Fire TV users can now catch up Sony Pictures Networks India’s premium content like Kaun Banega Crorepati and India’s Best Dancer along with a host of sporting events.”
Ferzad Palia, Head – Voot Select, Youth & English Entertainment at Viacom18 said, “A key objective at VOOT Select is to ensure that our amazing stories are accessible to patrons across devices, platforms & geographies. Consumption of content on large screens is growing rapidly. The Live TV feature launch and our association with Amazon Fire TV will ensure a seamless experience to our current and future user base.”
For all existing Fire TV and Fire TV Edition customers, the ‘Live’ tab ‘will begin rolling out today and will be available over the next few weeks. The ‘On Now’ row is available to existing customers on the basis of their app downloads and subscription status. For new customers, the ‘Live’ tab will be available within a few weeks after the device is activated and the ‘On Now’ row will be accessible once they download and subscribe to the integrated apps.
