Amazon Fire TV gets new live television section

Image credit: Amazon (Image credit: Amazon)

If you have an Amazon Fire TV device and you use it to watch live television, you'll be pleased to know that finding live TV channels is about to get easier than ever before.

The company has announced that Fire TV devices in the US will be getting a new dedicated 'Live' tab, which the company says will bring "your live sports, news, and channels from select OTT services, streaming apps (e.g. PlayStation Vue), paid subscriptions, and over-the-air antennas into one consolidated view".

Amazon says that you will be able to find the new live TV tab "right next to ‘Home’ in the main navigation menu". 

As well as coming to devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the new feature will also be available on Fire TV Edition smart TVs.

Great for sports fans

So, what can you expect to see within the Live tab on your Fire device? There are Live TV integrated apps like Pluto TV and Red Bull TV, which offer free live content, as well as monthly subscription apps like PlayStation Vue.

You can also subscribe to Prime Video Channels, which gives you access to live content from HBO, Showtime, NBA League Pass, and more. Plus, if you have a Fire TV Edition smart TV or a Fire TV Recast, you'll find all your regular antenna channels "listed alongside your other live content" in the Live tab.

Amazon says that the feature will be rolling out "over the next week" to all Fire TV customers in the US – that means you can expect to see it on your interface sometime between July 1 and July 7 (just in time for Wimbledon, as Amazon points out).

Amazon Fire TV Stick

The Amazon Fire TV Stick (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy an Amazon Fire TV device?

If you're looking for a simple way to stream TV, an Amazon Fire TV device can be a great choice. 

While the original Fire TV (2017) that started it all is no more, the more compact Fire TV Stick has taken its place. With the Fire Stick’s 4K upgrade, too, choosing between Fire TV devices is now as simple as picking HD or Ultra HD for your TV streaming.

The regular Fire TV Stick retails at $39.99, while the Fire TV Stick 4K is slightly more expensive at $49.99.

If you want to combine your music and TV into one device, there's also the Amazon Fire TV Cube, which is essentially a Fire TV streaming box built into an Amazon Echo speaker. This is the most expensive option at $119.99. 

But is now the best time to buy? With Amazon Prime Day 2020 fast approaching, chances are that we'll see some fantastic Fire TV Stick deals on July 15. This year's Prime Day is set to be the biggest yet, with 48 hours of sales kicking off from 00:01 Monday, July 15 and last until 23:59 of Tuesday, July 16.

Olivia Tambini

Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.