Amazon follows through on threat, yanking Chromecast hardware from leading online retail store

Following through on a threat made earlier this month, Amazon has pulled Google’s Chromecast hardware from its online stores, regardless of whether it was being sold by Amazon directly or third-party vendors in Amazon’s Marketplace.

Amazon notified third-party merchants that it planned to remove Chromecasts and Apple TVs from its listings, claiming an interest in reducing “consumer confusion” over streaming media players that don’t “interact well with Prime Video,” Amazon’s streaming video service. Chromecast and Apple TV pages currently lead to 404 Document Not Found error pages, while attempts to search for the products now redirect to Amazon’s own Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, PlayStation TV, and a collection of off-brand alternatives. Certain Chromecast accessories remain available for purchase, however…

In addition to battling Apple over the App Store’s required 30% revenue-sharing arrangement, Amazon has fought with Google over the content of Amazon apps in the Google Play Store, and released the Fire TV Stick as an alternative to Chromecast. The base model Fire TV Stick sells for $40, with a Voice Remote version at $50, a little more expensive than the $35 Chromecast.