Roku and Google are still fighting over your TV, and somehow it's getting even uglier

New Roku devices will ship without YouTube after December 9th

Most content disputes between streaming services and hardware companies usually find themselves settled before things go too far. However, an all-out war breaks out every once in a while, affecting users of both platforms as negotiations halt and interruptions take months to end. It’s looking like the fight between Roku and Google is one of those struggles, and it’s about to get a whole lot worse.

It’s been nearly six months since Google pulled YouTube TV from Roku devices. As an interim fix, the classic YouTube app received a custom launcher, allowing subscribers to keep their streaming cable channels as a temporary fix until the companies could reach a new deal. Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to pass just yet — in fact, it seems like Roku and Google may be farther away from a deal than ever before.

In a lengthy blog post published Thursday offering users an update on the YouTube TV situation, Roku doubled down on its criticism of the search giant. As we initially heard back in April, the sticking point here is Google’s reported demands to have more control over search results, pushing YouTube to the top of the list and requiring specific voice and data features before either company can sign a new contract. Roku also mentions its rival’s ever-growing legal troubles with the US government, if only to underline its central point about unfair competition.

Google, for its part, delivered a much shorter statement to Variety, calling the company’s claims “baseless” and announcing that, as of December 9th, all Roku devices will ship without YouTube. Current owners can rest easy, but if you’ve been thinking of picking up a streaming stick as the perfect stocking stuffer ahead of the holidays, it’s something to plan around.

Although it sounds like this dispute is messier than ever, it’s important to keep some context in mind. Google and Amazon went through a similar fight surrounding YouTube’s availability on Fire TV devices, one that the parties involved eventually resolved after nearly two years. Let’s just hope this Roku debacle doesn’t take quite as long to inevitably wrap up.

About The Author