TV from Amazon
Amazon (AMZN) could start selling its own-brand TVs in the US, as it has already done in India, Business Insider reports. Amazon televisions could potentially have Alexa and Amazon's built-in subscription services.
E-commerce giant Amazon (AMZN) plans to launch a self-branded TV in the US, possibly as early as October, anonymous sources told Business Insider.
According to BI, this launch of Amazon's branded TVs in the US has been in preparation for almost two years, with divisions such as Amazon Devices and Lab126 working on it.
Every year Amazon launches its new gadgets and services in the autumn, but the innovations are kept secret. Last year Amazon unveiled a drone with video surveillance for the home, the new Echo smart speakers, the Echo Show display and more. Among Amazon's interesting new products are the Echo Frames smart glasses with Alexa voice assistant.
According to reports, the TVs from Amazon will be manufactured by TCL, one of China's largest consumer electronics manufacturers, with diagonals ranging from 55 to 75 inches and will also have Alexa voice assistant built in.
While details are not yet known, the rumoured launch of Amazon-branded TVs suggests that the company is creating its own ecosystem of devices and services, as Apple (AAPL) is doing. Amazon's business is largely built on e-commerce and cloud computing, but, with consumer sales being one of the key segments for the company.
Amazon has a TV set-top box called Fire TV, the company provides subscription services for the streaming video service Amazon Prime Video as well as Amazon Music, and last year it launched the gaming service Luna Late last year, Amazon launched 55-inch and 50-inch TVs under the AmazonBasics brand in India, and they are priced quite competitively in the Indian market.
However, this launch could signal increased competition in the electronics market, particularly for industry leaders like Samsung, LG and Sony, which often sell their TVs through Amazon's website.
The share of revenues from the sale of appliances in Amazon's total revenues is small, but the segment could be fast-growing if the company offers an attractive, competitive price, expecting to attract more revenues through subscriptions to its online services.
