Roku is set to lose the YouTube app on December 9, 2021. This is according to a report from The Verge. The app has been in decline for some time now and Roku has been trying to make a case for its own streaming service. However, YouTube seems to be uninterested in being part of that plan.
The feud between Google and Roku has been going for some time, with YouTube TV already being removed from Roku’s platform. Now, it looks like the regular YouTube app, which is extremely popular on Roku, will be removed from the platform as well, as reported by Axios. This would be a rather unfortunate blow for Roku users in the future.
Thankfully, the app will be available for existing Roku users until December 9, 2021, and the company will continue to update the app for existing users. So, even if the two companies aren’t able to reach a deal, users with Roku devices will keep enjoying the app.
Google issued a statement on the negotiations, and the company said:
Roku also put out a blog post regarding the situation, and as is usually the case with these kinds of disputes, the companies have entirely different perspectives on what’s happening:
When it comes down to these types of disputes between companies, the customers are the ones who ultimately end up losing, as they aren’t able to get access to the content they want.
While it’s nice that Google will continue to update the app for existing users, with the holiday shopping season right around the corner, there could be a lot of disappointed Roku buyers who can’t get one of the biggest video platforms on the internet on their new devices.
Of course, there’s always a chance the two companies could meet in the middle between now and the deadline, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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