Amazon has reportedly significantly reduced the price for 4K movies in order to stay competitive with Apple TV 4K, according to a news report.
On the heels of unveiling its latest iPhones earlier this month, Apple announced Apple TV 4K, in which it will sell the ultra HD movies for the same price as the HD versions of the films. That has prompted Amazon to react, reducing their prices for 4K movies via TV apps or the Fire TV box to a point even lower than Apple.
The report noted that while users can get 4K movies on the cheap at Amazon, the eCommerce giant doesn’t have nearly as many as movie titles as Apple – although the retailer does offer a big selection of 4K TV shows as part of its Prime membership program. When Apple announced Apple TV 4K, the company said viewers will get crisper pictures and graphics performance that is four times faster than HD. It also said it is working with most of the Hollywood studios, excluding Disney, to make their 4K movies available on iTunes at the same price as HD movies.
For customers who download an HD version of the movie, Apple will automatically upgrade it for free. Apple also announced that Amazon and Netflix 4K movies will be coming to iTunes, and that it is launching Live Sports and Live News.
The Apple TV 4K is priced at $179. Ordering opens up on Sept. 15, and the device will start shipping a week later.
Amazon’s move to lower prices for 4K movies comes at a time when Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook are in a battle to become the place for content streaming, whether it’s videos or movies. While Amazon and rival Netflix have been pouring billions of dollars into their online streaming services, Apple is just starting to pick up the pace of investments. According to a previous report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple is spending $1 billion on original content.