- Netflix support for first-gen Fire TV is ending in June
- Older Fire TV devices can’t play more modern video codecs
- Try Amazon Trade-In to get money off a newer model
After a decade, Netflix is ending support for first-generation Fire TV streaming devices. From June 3, 2025, first generation versions of the following models will no longer be Netflix-compatible:
- Fire TV (2014)
- Fire TV Stick (2014)
- Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (2016)
The announcement, which Netflix has emailed its customers about, isn’t a huge surprise: Amazon hasn’t updated them for some time now, and the early Fire TV devices don’t support the most modern video and audio formats.
Even in 2023, some users on the FireTV subreddit were advising against buying them new.
Why is Netflix stopping support for the Fire TV models?
Netflix hasn’t said specifically, but the most likely explanation is that the devices don’t support the audio and video codecs Netflix is using. As PC World, whose sister title PC-WELT broke the news, reported: “It could have something to do with Netflix using newer standards – such as the AV1 codec – to stream with better picture quality, particularly for customers who are on the Premium plan.” The now-discontinued devices can’t be upgraded to support newer codecs.
If you’re the owner of one of the affected models and want to keep streaming Netflix, you’ll need to buy one of the current range instead. And as ever with Amazon devices, try not to pay full price for it: Amazon discounts its Fire TV devices constantly throughout the year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the retailer reacts to the Netflix news by discounting them accordingly. At the time of writing, my preferred upgrade is 33% off in the US among the Memorial Day deals.
If I were upgrading from an old Fire TV device I’d skip the 2023 Fire TV Stick 4K and go for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. There’s not a huge price difference – the non-Max version has an official price of $49.99 / £59.99 / AU$79 while the Max is $59.99 / £69.99 / AU$119. For a little more, you get more storage, a faster processor, better Wi-Fi and Amazon’s Ambient experience.
In the US, that model gone down to $39.99 four times this year – including today, May 21st. For UK customers, the Max has been discounted to £50 or below three times this year so far.
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