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The new Fire TV OS is for Amazon, not you
Jared Newman | 
Like it or not, Amazon is starting to phase out the Fire TV operating system it’s been using for more than a decade.
On both the new Fire TV Stick HD and the Fire TV Stick 4K Select that launched last fall, Amazon is shipping a new operating system called Vega. Going forward, the company says it won’t launch any new Fire TV Stick models using its former Android-based OS, as it’s sticking with Vega going forward.
That’s a problem, because right now Vega is worse than the operating system it’s replacing, with a smaller app selection, missing features, and more restrictions. Vega might suit Amazon’s business goals, but there’s little in it for Amazon’s users.
Weekly rewind
An unusual sports arrangement: CW isn’t a major sports programmer, but it airs 800 hours of sports per year, including things like Pac-12 football, WWE NXT, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and bull riding. Now, that content will stream exclusively on ESPN while remaining free over-the-air with an antenna (and included with pay TV packages that carry CW).
The company tells Variety that it was wary of launching yet another streaming service for its sports programming, rightly noting that folks are already fed up with how many services are necessary for comprehensive sports coverage. Bundling its content into an already-popular sports streamer makes more sense.
Onn devices arrive (ish): Walmart has started selling its new Onn streaming devices online after they began popping up in stores last month.
But there’s a problem: The new 4K streaming stick is selling for $40 instead of the $25 we saw initially. The new 4K Pro model, which is speedier and supports hands-free voice control, is selling for $60 as expected, but it’s out of stock this morning. (It was available when I checked last night.) The excellent Onn 4K Plus, whose list price is also $40, remains out of stock as well.
I’m guessing this is all related to the RAM shortage that AI data centers are inflicting on the rest of the electronics industry. It’s a bummer because these Onn devices were always a great value; now they’re becoming pricier if you can even get them at all.
More catch-up
- The Roku Channel will stream CW’s entertainment programming the day after the broadcast, starting in the fall.
- Roku’s Howdy streaming service tops 1 million subscribers, according to a third-party estimate. (Read my previous Howdy coverage here.)
- YouTube TV’s more flexible multiview—where you can combine pretty much any channel—is officially available for everyone.
- Google TV adds YouTube Shorts to its home screen.
Save more money
This part of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying or subscribing to something.
If you still want a solid Fire TV Stick that still runs on Android instead of Vega, Woot has the Fire TV Stick 4K for $16 using promo code FIRE30. The same device sells on Amazon for $50 (with newer “Fire TV Stick 4K Plus” branding). Even if Amazon is moving toward Vega, support for Android-based Fire TV models isn’t going away anytime soon.
Other notable deals:
- Yep, you can still get two months of Paramount+ Premium for $1 per month with promo code N8C27L.
- Roku’s HD streamer is still $15 at Walmart.
As always, I have a full list of streaming deals, bundles, and freebies on this page.
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Until then,
Jared