A recent spat between Google and Roku led to the YouTube TV app being removed from Roku's Channel Store. To ensure that users are not affected by this, Google is now providing YouTube TV access to Roku owners from within the YouTube app.
Google and Roku Are Having a Public Showdown
It is quite common for negotiations between major tech companies to fall apart for various reasons. However, such negotiations are always done away from the public eye. With the YouTube TV distribution agreement between Roku and Google expiring, the two companies have not been able to agree on its renewal terms and conditions.
Roku says Google is trying to impose unfair and anti-competitive terms, including adding a dedicated search row for YouTube within the Roku software and "giving YouTube search results more prominent placement." It even wanted Roku to block search results from other streaming services and give a similar treatment to YouTube Music results. Additionally, Google "threatened" Roku to use specific chips or memory cards in its products.
In retaliation, Roku removed the YouTube TV app from the Roku Channel Store. This means that if you don't already have the YouTube TV app downloaded on your Roku streaming device, you will not be able to install it anymore.
On its part, Roku says that it only asked for four simple commitments from Google.
First, not to manipulate consumer search results. Second, not to require access to data not available to anyone else. Third, not to leverage their YouTube monopoly to force Roku to accept hardware requirements that would increase consumer costs. Fourth, not to act in a discriminatory and anticompetitive manner against Roku.
Access YouTube TV From the YouTube App on Roku Devices
To bypass Roku's app store restrictions, Google is rolling out YouTube TV access within the YouTube app. Roku owners can access this by clicking on the Go to YouTube TV option in the YouTube app. The feature will be rolled out to all Roku devices in the coming days.
Google Looking to Secure "Free Streaming Devices"
Google has also provided an update on its talks with Roku in its announcement on the YouTube blog. The company says that it is trying to reach an agreement with Roku so that existing customers can continue to access YouTube TV. It is also in long-term discussions with Roku to certify future devices that meet its technical requirements.
More importantly, though, Google says it is in "discussions with other partners to secure free streaming devices" if its talks with Roku fail. This sounds like Google is ready to hand over free streaming devices to Roku customers if talks with the latter fail and the YouTube TV app is not restored on Roku's Channel Store.
How Will Roku Retaliate?
This is definitely a smart move by Google to roll out YouTube TV from within the YouTube app on Roku devices. It now remains to be seen how Roku will retaliate against this move. The company cannot possibly afford to remove the YouTube app from its platform since it is used by a majority of Roku users.
