Netflix will be blocked on some Fire TV Sticks tomorrow — will YOU be forced to upgrade?
Netflix will drop support for older Fire TV devices tomorrow (June 3, 2025).
The most popular streaming service — boasting 301.6 million paid subscribers worldwide — has decided to drop support for the first-generation of Fire TV devices sold by Amazon. If you’ve been watching on the original Fire TV set-top box, launched back in 2014, the first-generation Fire TV Stick launched that same year, or the Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote that arrived in 2016 …you’re out of luck.
If you’re unsure which Fire TV model you own, you can check by going to Settings > My Fire TV > About on your device.
If you’ve been watching Netflix shows, like Squid Game, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, or Adolescence on a Fire TV device that’s about to lose access to Netflix, the streamer should’ve sent you an email.
“Netflix will be discontinuing support for some first-generation Fire TV devices, which were introduced more than 10 years ago. Netflix remains available on all other Fire TV devices,” it reads.
Netflix hasn’t offered an explanation about why it’s pulling support for these particular models, but experts suggest it’s probably due to its pivot to newer video standards and codecs that these ageing devices simply can’t handle.
According to PC World, which first spotted the small-print that revealed these decade-old Fire TV devices are about to lose access to Netflix, reports 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.”
Amazon has already halted support for these older Fire TV devices, so it’s been a few years since owners have enjoyed a software update with some exciting new features. The last update for the first-generation Fire TV was in 2021, while the first-generation Fire TV Stick received its final update in 2022.
As such, it might not be too much of a surprise that individual streaming services are now choosing to turn their back on this ageing hardware. Nonetheless, it’s frustrating for those who must now upgrade to a new gadget before June 3.
Of course, you can continue to use the original Fire TV box, first-generation Fire TV Stick, or Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote — you just won’t be able to watch Netflix. It’s also likely other streaming services will follow Netflix’s lead in dropping support for these older devices sometime in the future. As it stands, apps like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, Prime Video, and Disney+ continue to work.
If you want to switch to a newer Fire TV device, Amazon has a packed lineup of replacements.
The basic Fire TV Stick HD costs £39.99 and offers a massive step up in terms of speed and features from that first-generation device released over a decade ago. When the first Fire TV Stick launched, it cost £35 — so prices remain largely unchanged, despite the fact that you’re getting a faster, more feature-packed device with Alexa voice controls built into the remote… something that was previously reserved for the priciest models.
For those with 4K televisions, the Fire TV Stick 4K costs £59.99, while the top-tier Fire TV Stick 4K Max is available for £69.99, offering Wi-Fi 6E and Amazon’s new Ambient Experience. This model is also compatible with Xbox Game Pass, so you can stream blockbuster games like Call of Duty, Fortnite, Gears of War, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, and dozens of others on the big screen.
If you send your original Fire TV back to Amazon — yes, even a decade-old model that won’t be able to stream Netflix shows from June 3, 2025 onwards — it’ll cut the price by an extra 20% off at checkout.
Upgrade to the latest Fire TV Stick HD
The entry-level model from Amazon now ships with an Alexa Voice Remote, so you can use the chatty AI assistant to launch streaming apps, find shows from a particular director, control playback, and more. Streaming quality is still limited to 1080p HD, but there is support for Dolby Atmos too.
Upgrade to the latest Fire TV Stick 4K Max
Fire TV Stick 4K Max is all about raw power, with support for the latest Wi-Fi 6E wireless standard, 40% more processing power than the standard Fire TV Stick 4K, and twice as much storage too. All of that processing grunt mean it’s able to stream the latest blockbuster console games from Xbox Game Pass — with nothing by a wireless controller paired over Bluetooth, to recreate an Xbox-like experience. It’s also the first model to support the new Fire TV Ambient Experience, which displays over 2,000 pieces of museum-quality art and photography when your telly is not in-use.
Not tied to Amazon? Roku recently announced a pair of new streaming dongles coming to the UK, and a new Google Chromecast clone has been unveiled that’ll enable your Netflix fix.