E3: Roku Is Warning Customers YouTube TV App Might Disappear
Roku users may soon have issues finding YouTube TV on their devices. In an email sent to its YouTube TV users, Roku is now warning that the app may go dark. This is due to recent negotiations in which Google allegedly wants conspicuous placement for YouTube in all search results and to block results from other providers. News of the brewing standoff was first reported by Axios, which has also published the email alerting customers.
"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," reads the email. "While we are deeply disappointed in Google's decision to use their monopoly power to try and force terms… we remain committed to reaching an agreement with Google that preserves your access."
Roku is also indicating that in these negotiations, according to Yahoo News, Google has allegedly "threatened to set chipset and memory requirements for devices that would raise hardware prices." Such a move would therefore, potentially, give Google's Chromecast device an unfair competitive advantage, which a Roku spokesperson argued would be "predatory."
Continue Reading at GameSpot