Roku users who subscribe to YouTube TV may be in a spot of streaming trouble, as the video streaming player company alerted its customers Monday morning that YouTube TV may go dark on the Roku platform soon. It’s clear that the ever-simmering tensions between Roku and Google, which owns YouTube TV, have now erupted into a full-blown fight.
Variety reports that in an email notice to customers, Roku said, “We are sending this email to update you on the possibility that Google may take away your access to the YouTube TV channel on Roku. Recent negotiations with Google to carry YouTube TV have broken down because Roku cannot accept Google’s unfair terms as we believe they could harm our users.”
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Roku says Google is demanding that Roku grant the separate YouTube app special search privileges as a condition for carrying YouTube TV. “Google is attempting to use its YouTube monopoly position to force Roku into accepting predatory, anti-competitive and discriminatory terms that will directly harm Roku and our users,” Roku said in a statement on Monday. “Given antitrust suits against Google, investigations by competition authorities of anti-competitive behavior and congressional hearings into Google’s practices, it should come as no surprise that Google is now demanding unfair and anti-competitive terms that harm Roku’s users.”
Roku continued to lean into Google, clawing that the dispute is not over economic terms and that it is not asking for higher fees to carry YouTube TV. Google’s Chromecast device competes with Roku. One of Google’s stipulations in its renewal talks with Roku for YouTube TV is that Roku agree to future hardware specs as set by Google — something the company refuses to do.
The company continued its statement, saying that it is “disappointed” that Google has “refused to accept our proposal to extend YouTube TV on Roku.” Roku said it is “not asking Google for a single additional dollar in value. We simply cannot agree to terms that would manipulate consumer search results, inflate the cost of our products and violate established industry data practices.” The company slammed Google, saying it is “already under fire from governments around the world for manipulating search results” and saying that “it is outrageous that Google would now try to insist on manipulating Roku’s search results as well.”
Roku said it believes its consumers “stand to benefit from Google and Roku reaching a fair agreement that preserves consumers’ access to YouTube TV, protects user data and promotes a competitive, free and open marketplace. We are committed to trying to achieve that goal.”
YouTube TV is a streaming service popular among cord-cutters that offers access to live TV, on-demand video and cloud-based DVR akin to cable. It is owned by YouTube, a Google subsidiary, which itself is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
