April 18 (UPI) -- Amazon and Best Buy, rivals in the retail industry, will team up to sell smart televisions powered by the Fire TV operating system, the companies announced Wednesday.
The newly designed TVs will come with a built-in Fire TV interface. Users will be able to use Alexa to search for and watch broadcast channels or choose from a catalog of streamed content from Netflix, Prime Video, HBO, PlayStation Vue, Hulu and others.
The first Fire smart TV from Toshiba will be available in the United States this summer, with additional models released later this year.
The TVs will be sold at Best Buy -- and, for the first time, from the retailer as a third-party seller on Amazon.com.
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"Amazon and Best Buy have a long history of working together, and today we take our partnership to a new level," Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement, adding that Amazon "could not have a better partner."
Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly said the new Fire TVs will provide customers with a "incredible user experience."
"Our goal is to enrich the lives of our customers by offering them the very best products and services, whether they come to us online, visit our stores, or invite us into their home."
By selling the smart TVs on Amazon, Best Buy could risk pulling sales from its own website and physical stores. It's unclear if Best Buy will pay a standard commission as an Amazon merchant, or whether a different deal was negotiated.
Best Buy said it plans only to sell the Fire TV models on Amazon's site, and no other products.
At @BestBuy catching up with CEO Hubert Joly and announcing our collaboration on the next generation of smart TVs. Couldn't ask for a better partner, and the product is killer. Full Alexa integration: "Alexa, watch ABC" or "Alexa, watch Westworld." #FireTVEdition pic.twitter.com/Dsq8VBOSA7
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 18, 2018
