When Amazon’s Fire TV Stick first entered Indian homes, it quietly disrupted an entire category. DTH connections were unplugged, set-top boxes shoved into drawers, and streaming took over living rooms. But as connected and smart TVs have become the norm—nearly 95% of TVs sold in India today are “smart”—the question now is, where does that leave Fire Stick?

Smart TVs now dominate, but Fire TV Is doubling down

Dilip R.S., director and country manager, Amazon Devices India, doesn’t see any reason for concern. “We go where customers go,” he says. “Today, customers are ready to buy smart TVs, and Fire OS is available on those smart TVs. At the same time, Fire TV Stick continues to be one of the top-selling products on Amazon.in.”

The stick is the hardware, whereas the Fire OS is the software that powers it all.

During Amazon’s Prime Day sale in July, Fire TV Stick was among the top three most purchased products in the entire electronics category, ahead of several big-ticket devices. The company’s just-concluded festive sale told a similar story—three out of the top five TVs sold on Amazon were Xiaomi Fire TVs powered by Fire OS.

Meanwhile, India’s television market has undergone a dramatic transformation in just a few years. Connected TVs now make up nearly 95% of total TV sales, and around 12 million connected units are sold every year. India is now the third-largest connected TV market globally, after the US and China.

“Over the past few years, the adoption curve has shifted decisively,” says Ravi Agarwal, Co-Founder and managing director, Cellecor. “Today, close to 90–95% of our TV sales are connected/smart TVs, whereas two to three years ago, that share was nearly inverted. What was once considered a premium feature has now become almost a hygiene factor in consumer decision-making.”

He adds that the connected TV segment is seeing “unprecedented” growth even in semi-urban and Tier-2 towns, driven by affordable data plans and rising OTT consumption. “In some quarters, we’ve seen flat or even declining numbers for non-smart TVs,” he says.

Pankaj Rana, CEO of Hisense India, echoes that view. “Connected TVs now account for a significant majority of TV sales in India. Hisense recorded 40% growth in its TV business in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year,” he says. The surge, he adds, is driven by “the rise of OTT platforms, affordable large-screen TVs, and faster broadband and 5G rollout.” Even in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, he notes, improved offline availability and regional offers are driving strong demand.

Some manufacturers, in fact, have left external streaming devices behind altogether. “All our TVs have been connected TVs for the past 10 years, so we don’t have any data for outdated technologies like external streaming devices,” says Devita Saraf, founder and CEO of Vu Televisions.

Amazon’s two-track strategy: The stick and the OS

Dilip acknowledges this evolution but says it’s not a threat — it’s an expansion opportunity. “They’re all connected TVs now, but there are multiple ways to deliver that experience,” he says. “Fire OS is one of the leading options globally.”

Worldwide, Amazon’s Fire OS powers more than 300 television models, including brands like Hisense and Panasonic. In India, however, Xiaomi remains the only active Fire OS partner, though Dilip hints that “more exciting collaborations are in the pipeline.”

For customers who already have smart TVs but find their built-in interfaces clunky or slow, the Fire TV Stick continues to be a popular upgrade. “Even if you’ve paid ₹40,000–₹50,000 for a premium TV, if it takes three seconds to open an app, that’s frustrating,” says Dilip. “The Fire TV Stick takes away that lag and brings speed, personalization, and voice control into the experience.”

Amazon’s reach is massive — Fire TV devices are present across 99% of India’s PIN codes, according to the company. A NielsenIQ survey showed that 39% of users bought the Stick for a lag-free experience, while 24% cited wider app access as the key reason.

The company’s latest launch, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select which is their new Firestick running the new Vega OS, reflects its intent to keep innovating in a saturated market. Priced at ₹5,499, it’s Amazon’s entry-level 4K offering, equipped with HDR10+ support, faster app launches, and Alexa voice control. The device is available across Amazon.in, Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and offline retailers such as Croma, Vijay Sales, and Reliance Retail.

Meanwhile, Fire OS continues to power Xiaomi’s smart TVs and is expected to reach more OEMs soon. “We’re ensuring customers have the choice — whether they want a Fire OS TV or prefer to upgrade their current one with a Stick,” says Dilip.

Amazon is also betting on AI to redefine how people interact with their screens. Its next-generation Alexa Plus, a generative AI-powered assistant that can suggest movies by mood or even recall specific scenes, has launched in the US and is headed to India soon.

 “That's the gap that we want to plug. It's not just about becoming a device for launching apps, which we started our vision with, but now we want to make it easier for people to be entertained,” he says by helping them discover what to watch, what to watch next, where in their entertainment journey they were and help them seamlessly go through the various apps and OTT access they have.

For Amazon, the play is clear. The Fire TV Stick may have sparked the streaming revolution in India, but its second act is about adaptability — evolving from a disruptor into the connective tissue of the modern entertainment ecosystem.

For Dilip, this convergence of entertainment and control is exactly where the Fire TV ecosystem is headed.

 “Today, people spend hours in front of their TVs,” he says. “So why should it only be for watching content? With Alexa integrated into Fire devices, your TV becomes the centre of your smart home. You can dim lights, control ACs, switch on geysers—all through voice commands—without leaving your sofa.”

The company doesn't seem to be competing against smart TVs; it’s weaving itself into their evolution.