Motherf.....Google Pulling YouTube from Roku (for new devices/users) on Dec. 9, 2021

[atomheartbevo 89922]

If you already have the app, supposedly you will be fine (of course, people buying new TVs with Roku, and Roku sets over the holidays, are fucked).  

https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-says-it-will-pull-youtube-app-from-roku-on-dec-9

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Roku tells us Google wants to process all search queries and return YouTube results for Roku to display. That, in turn, could give YouTube valuable insight into Roku users’ tastes. 

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If you own a Roku streaming-media player and you haven’t yet added Google’s YouTube app, now would be a good time to do it.

The Roku app for the most-viewed video site in the US will exit Roku’s platform on Dec. 9, as negotiations between Google and Roku remain at an impasse. It's a dispute Roku warned about in a post on its corporate blog Thursday morning and in a separate notice to customers before providing additional details to me over a Zoom call hours later. 

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On a Zoom call, Roku executives (who spoke on the condition they not be named) shared a screenshot of a Sept. 23, 2019 email from a Google executive (whose name was blacked out) demanding that Roku add a row of YouTube-only search results: “Voice/universal search results shown in a dedicated YT shelf and not intermixed with other video content providers.” 

Roku says this feature, which that message labeled “a must,” would require Roku to send all search queries to Google so that Google could process them and return YouTube results for Roku to display. That, in turn, could give YouTube valuable insight into Roku users’ tastes. 

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During the call, the Roku executives also said YouTube demanded two further privileges in Roku’s voice search: 

If a Roku user had the YouTube app open and uttered a music-specific request like “Play the Beatles,” that Roku fulfill that request in YouTube Music instead of whatever music app the user had set as their default.

That Roku respond to a user’s voice searches for a movie by showing YouTube’s options to rent or buy them—even if the user could watch the flick for free on other services they already pay for.

https://www.roku.com/blog/update-on-youtube-tv

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Updated at 4:00 PM ET: Shortly after we posted this update to our customers and raised concerns about their anticompetitive conduct, Google notified us that, unless we reach agreement on renewal terms prior to the expiration of our current agreement, we will not be able to offer YouTube on the Roku platform for new users. 

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Importantly, our concerns with Google are not about money. We have not asked for a single change in the financial terms of our existing agreement. In fact, Roku does not earn a single dollar from YouTube’s ad supported video sharing service today, whereas Google makes hundreds of millions of dollars from the YouTube app on Roku. 

There are two primary concerns we are working to address: First, Google continues to interfere with Roku’s independent search results, requiring that we preference YouTube over other content providers. This is a concern shared by many companies who believe that customers deserve neutral and relevant results to their search queries. Second, Google discriminates against Roku by demanding search, voice, and data features that they do not insist on from other streaming platforms.

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While we are working to resolve our differences, we want to be transparent about these negotiations. As we shared in April, the threat remains that Google may remove YouTubeTV from the Roku platform. We continue to believe that streamers stand to benefit from Google and Roku reaching a fair agreement and we remain committed to trying to achieve that goal. For Roku, this is about maintaining our independence, protecting our customers, and ensuring healthy competition in the streaming industry that benefits millions of consumers. As we have future updates on this matter, we plan to share them. You can follow Roku on this blog or on Twitter @RokuNewsroom.

https://community.roku.com/t5/Announcements/YouTube-TV-Update-October-21-2021/m-p/731062#M35

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In April Google allowed our agreement to expire and we have been working to renew our partnership. Our concerns with Google are not about money and we have not requested a single change to the financial terms. We want to raise concerns about Google’s practice of manipulating consumers search results and blocking access to content consumers have already purchased. 

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[NeverMarryAStripper 22000]

Google can lick my taint.  What kind of music will they play when I utter that.

[Tommy Shelby 188]

I actually prefer YouTube music, but then again I bought into the Google ecosystem (Google minis {mic works better when in the ceiling}, TVs, hub etc.). Fuck Roku lol

[APMP 688]

If everything in there is true (and we have only heard one side, after all) then hard not to be Team Roku on this.

[atomheartbevo 89922]

39 minutes ago, APMP said:

If everything in there is true (and we have only heard one side, after all) then hard not to be Team Roku on this.

They claim the financial agreement did not change, and Google is the only one making money from YouTube ads in this instance, so my gut says Team Roku as well.

And I doubt they'd be making up fake emails from Google to show PC Magazines, etc.

[CooterBrown 18040]

Google can lick my taint.  What kind of music will they play when I utter that.

https://youtu.be/7e2vxWshheE