Netflix cuts support for older Fire TV devices
Netflix users who use a first-generation Fire TV device will have to look for a new streaming solution at the beginning of June.
Amazon's Fire TV Stick from 2014 will no longer support Netflix from June 3, 2025.
(Image: Amazon)
Netflix will no longer run on older Amazon Fire TVs from June. "According to our usage data, you have used Netflix on a first-generation Fire TV streaming media player in the past 12 months. Netflix will discontinue support for these streaming media players on June 2, 2025," reads the email sent to customers of the affected Fire TV devices.
Specifically, this concerns the first-generation Fire TV and Fire TV Stick as well as the model with voice remote control. These devices were all launched on the market in 2014 and lost their guaranteed support in the form of software and security updates years ago. As a rule, software support for Fire TV devices lasts for four years after the product was last available on Amazon.
Amazon: Affected Fire TV devices no longer widely available
According to the manufacturer, the old devices are still "used by a small group of customers". According to Amazon, most Fire TV users are using more recent models that are not affected. Netflix has not given a specific reason for the end of support. heise online has asked the streaming service for an explanation.
However, there are indications that Netflix is pulling the plug on the old devices, as they support the more modern AV1 codec that the company has been using since 2021. This codec not only compresses more efficiently, meaning it looks better at the same frame rate or requires less bandwidth for the same picture quality. Due to the open nature of AV1, there are no license fees. The codec cannot be retrofitted to older devices via a software update.
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Meanwhile, Amazon points out that the old Fire TV devices would only lose access to the Netflix app. Other streaming providers continue to support the older hardware.
Amazon is accommodating owners of the older devices: "Customers who still use Netflix on these devices can receive a discount on a newer Fire TV stick." They should contact customer service for this. For owners of one of the older Fire TV devices that use Netflix, the provider's decision is nevertheless annoying.
However, Fire TV customers are not the first to have the plug pulled on Netflix: Sony televisions manufactured between 2011 and 2013 already lost access to the streaming service at the beginning of 2024.
(afl)
