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Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

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Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#71

Post by pumaontheprowl »

kumarvvr wrote: post #12

From the original blog of Roku "First, Google continues to interfere with Roku’s independent search results, requiring that we preference YouTube over other content providers" "Second, Google discriminates against Roku by demanding search, voice, and data features that they do not insist on from other streaming platforms." I would be much more comfortable if the headline says, "Google made unreasonable demands on Rok…

First time I've ever seen somebody on HN request to change a neutral headline to a biased headline.

This is a he said/she said dispute. Taking either side's statements at face value is just foolish.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#72

Post by _ea1k »

gameswithgo wrote: post #2

It is so dumb and twisted that there even needs to be a deal. Any web browser can hit youtube, you can probably get to youtube via a web browser anyway on a roku, if not they could in principle do that. Also dumb and twisted that as a paying youtube subscriber, I could buy a computer (a roku) and not be allowed to access youtube on it. Do better, tech.

Yeah, I want something like an OpenRoku standard for TV service providers, and equal access from many hardware platforms.

But these companies are moving steadily towards locking things down behind anticompetitive agreements.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#73

Post by InTheArena »

Roku is a advertising company. Google is a advertising company. They are fighting over who gets to sell you.

This is why I have chosen to spend the extra money and use a Apple TV. Google still spies on my content when I am in their app, but at least apple is not using analytics and screenshots to figure out what I am watching and sell it others.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#75

Post by inetknght »

ethbr0 wrote: post #35
kumarvvr wrote: post #12

From the original blog of Roku "First, Google continues to interfere with Roku’s independent search results, requiring that we preference YouTube over other content providers" "Second, Google discriminates against Roku by demanding search, voice, and data features that they do not insist on from other streaming platforms." I would be much more comfortable if the headline says, "Google made unreasonable demands on Rok…

And we could just link to the original Roku blog post, instead of Axios: https://www.roku.com/blog/update-on-youtube-tv

That doesn't load without javascript.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#77

Post by floatingatoll »

pumaontheprowl wrote: post #71
kumarvvr wrote: post #12

From the original blog of Roku "First, Google continues to interfere with Roku’s independent search results, requiring that we preference YouTube over other content providers" "Second, Google discriminates against Roku by demanding search, voice, and data features that they do not insist on from other streaming platforms." I would be much more comfortable if the headline says, "Google made unreasonable demands on Rok…

First time I've ever seen somebody on HN request to change a neutral headline to a biased headline. This is a he said/she said dispute. Taking either side's statements at face value is just foolish.

It won’t be the last.

See also above, where YouTube doesn’t contest Roku’s core claims when given opportunity to do so.

This submission would have been better as a blog post by a third party analyzing both of their statements.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#78

Post by unethical_ban »

dtjb wrote: post #18

I get this situation is different since YouTube is looking for concessions on functionality, but I find it hard to defend Roku with their triple-dipping scheme. They charge for the device (I paid over $100 for my 4k HDR box), then they display massive ads covering 50% of the screen, then they want a cut of revenue from content providers as well. Roku burned through a lot of goodwill with their customers during the HB…

I didn't know they charged money from app creators to be hosted. I thought they just made their money on hardware!

All roku had to do was build some quality hardware and a decent streaming UI. The only thing that would take money to maintain from a server perspective should be the update servers and software servers.

I saw them as one of the few dedicated streaming devices (next to Shield) for being "provider neutral" - that is, not apple and not Google.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#79

Post by ec109685 »

graton wrote: post #34
gameswithgo wrote: post #2

It is so dumb and twisted that there even needs to be a deal. Any web browser can hit youtube, you can probably get to youtube via a web browser anyway on a roku, if not they could in principle do that. Also dumb and twisted that as a paying youtube subscriber, I could buy a computer (a roku) and not be allowed to access youtube on it. Do better, tech.

As a note. The article is about "YouTube TV" not "YouTube". I missed it the first time.

“… new Roku devices will continue to be unable to download YouTube or YouTube TV apps”

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#80

Post by ec109685 »

dec0dedab0de wrote: post #10

This is just the YouTube TV app, not the regular YouTube app. Which is extra strange to me, If you have a paid for streaming service, wouldn't you want to be available on every platform you could be?

“… new Roku devices will continue to be unable to download YouTube or YouTube TV apps”
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