Amazon expands availability for new Fire TV interface

Amazon is expanding the rollout of its newly redesigned Fire TV interface that debuted on Fire TV Stick (3rd gen) and Fire TV Stick Lite in December.

Starting today, the new UI will begin rolling out to additional devices including the Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube (1st and 2nd Gen) and Fire TV (3rd Gen, pendant design). The company said support for Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen) and Fire TV smart TVs is coming later this year.

The redesign added features including user profiles, a simplified main menu bar, and the ability to pin apps for quicker access. Other new features include App Peeks, which let users check out content from apps within the UI itself, and Find, which allows users to discover content by categories like Free, TV Shows and Movies, while also filtering by content that’s “free to me.”

RELATED: Amazon adds 88 local markets to free news app on Fire TV

Amazon is simultaneously refreshing its Fire TV remote with the notable addition of branding streaming service buttons near the bottom of the device. The new remotes feature shortcut buttons for Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu. According to CNET, the new remote will be available starting April 14.

Amazon Fire TV has continued to rapidly grow its user base. The platform ended 2020 with 50 million monthly active users, up from 40 million at the beginning of the year. That growth has no doubt helped expand the Amazon’s advertising audience. The company said it now reaches more than 55 million monthly active viewers of ad-supported OTT content, up from about 20 million at the same time last year and the 40 million it reported in July during FierceVideo’s OTT Blitz Week.

Amazon said its new audience reach figure includes IMDb TV, its ad-supported streaming service, which has shown up recently on competing devices like Roku and Chromecast with Google TV. It also covers network and broadcaster apps like Discovery, CW, CNNGo, and CBS, which are powered by Amazon Publisher Services, as well as its own curated News app, which recently added feeds from local broadcast television stations in 88 U.S. markets.