Rice expert available to discuss Amazon Fire TV launch

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Rice expert available to discuss Amazon Fire TV launch

HOUSTON – (April 4, 2014) – This week Amazon stepped into the Internet entertainment streaming sphere by introducing its own version of Roku and Apple TV. The new platform, called Amazon Fire TV, will provide users with up to 200,000 movies and television shows.

Amazon Fire TV image courtesy Amazon

Amit Pazgal, professor of marketing at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is available for news media interviews to discuss Amazon’s marketing strategy and the outlook for this highly competitive marketplace.

“Amazon chose the safe way and priced its device at $99 — exactly like Roku and Apple TV,” Pazgal said. “They do not want to really compete on price, especially since the basic and reliable Google Chromecast sells for $35 and covers the price-sensitive segment of the market. One hundred dollars seems to be a ‘psychological barrier’ for a lot of people when it comes to purchasing such electronics.”

Pazgal believes that by “creating price parity, Amazon encourages people to pick their device based on available features.” Amazon Fire features include voice search and, Amazon claims, better sound and processor and a larger memory.

To schedule an interview with Pazgal, contact David Ruth, director of national media relations at Rice, at david@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.

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Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews.
Follow the Jones Graduate School of Business on Twitter @RiceMBA.

Related materials:

Jones School article on Amazon Fire TV: http://business.rice.edu/JGSB2011_2Column.aspx?id=4294973410

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