Amazon Fire TV and smart displays get their own version of Chromecast with ‘Matter Casting’

Ben Schoon | Jan 9 2024 - 10:42 am PT

At CES 2024 Amazon is introducing “Matter Casting,” a new standard for casting content from apps on your phone to Amazon Fire TV and Amazon smart displays, similar to Google’s Chromecast and Apple’s AirPlay.

Casting content from your phone to another display is not really a new idea. Google introduced Chromecast in 2013 with the functionality across Android, iOS, and desktop platforms, and Apple has also heavily invested in AirPlay which supports the same functionality, except only from Apple’s own devices.

Amazon is now throwing its hat into the ring with “Matter Casting,” which works across Android and iOS, but only to devices running Amazon’s platforms.

Matter Casting, Amazon explains, is an industry standard built on Matter, and this is the first place it’s being implemented. Amazon is contributing this technology to Matter, but it’s unclear if any other brands will adopt it. As mentioned, Matter Casting is cross-platform, but at launch it’s only going to work on Amazon’s Echo Show 15 before expanding to other Fire TV devices and Amazon smart displays. It also only works with Amazon Prime Video for now.

Amazon further notes a few key partners that will adopt the technology “later this year.”

Matter Casting is available now for customers around the world who want to cast Prime Video content from iOS and Android devices to Echo Show 15. It will be coming to compatible Fire TV devices in the coming months, including smart TVs from Panasonic with Fire TV built in. We’re working with Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, STARZ, and ZDF to add Matter Casting support later this year.

At CES Amazon is also showing off new AI advancements including generative AI in a new partnership with Siemens, an LLM in BMW vehicles, a new generation of its Zoox robotaxi, and the reveal that Fire TV is coming to Panasonic TV sets this year.