Following a report last week that Apple and Amazon were close to sorting out their differences preventing Amazon Prime from coming to the Apple TV, Buzzfeed News now reveals that the two companies are preparing to make an announcement to this effect at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Citing “sources in a position to know,” the report suggests that not only will Amazon Prime’s video app make its debut on the Apple TV at the June event, but that the set-top box will also see a return to Amazon’s virtual shelves — a logical move considering that Amazon’s rationale for banning sales of the device in 2015 were due to its lack of support for Amazon Prime.
Although Apple had debuted an open tvOS App Store when the fourth-generation Apple TV arrived in late 2015, Amazon was the only major provider to not jump on board with its own Apple TV app, a decision that, according to Apple, was entirely Amazon’s choice. On the other side, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos went on record as saying simply that his goal was to get the Prime Video player “on the device with acceptable business terms,” implying that Amazon has been holding out for specific terms beyond those available to other tvOS developers.
According to the report’s sources, the tvOS Amazon Prime app is expected to go live this summer, but that may still be subject to change. No date could be determined for when the Apple TV might make a return to Amazon’s storefronts.
