Finding live TV is about to get easier on the Fire TV platform thanks to an incoming update for the software. More specifically, Fire TV is getting a channel guide as well as a new row with what to watch that will make what’s currently playing at the time more visible to viewers, which in turn will make discovering live TV content to watch a simpler process.
When it comes to the channel guide this will be a boon for viewers who tend to gravitate towards specific channels and networks for a collection of the shows that reside on those channels. For example, if you’re looking to watch Game of Thrones and you’re curious to see what else HBO has to offer, you can enter the HBO channel guide and see other shows playing on the network. Speaking of HBO, Fire TV is also now incorporating the use of Alexa to find live TV content so you can find live TV not only easier but even without having to push a bunch of buttons on the remote. You will have to push one, though – the button that activates Alexa. That is, unless you have one of Amazon’s Echo device in the home which is powered by Alexa, then you can simply speak to it from the beginning and never have to touch the remote at all.
If you’re really not sure what you want to watch and you’d rather discover something, or if you know you can find something you’re interested in watching if you simply look, the new ‘On Now’ row that Amazon is implementing will give you a list of currently playing TV shows that are broadcasting live the moment you hit the row. Sticking with the theme of making live TV as easy to find as possible, the On Now row is located directly on the home screen so as soon as you boot up your Fire TV device you’ll be able to hop right to it and see what’s playing with little effort and without wasting any time. If you subscribe to Amazon Channels then the live TV changes should already be available to you as of today. That said, there are only a number of channels available, such as HBO, STARZ, SHOWTIME, and Cinemax, though Amazon does plan to add more channels down the road.
