YouTube TV May Go Dark on Roku in Carriage Faceoff

Carriage disagreements are getting a lot more complicated. Roku users may soon lose access to YouTube TV as tensions between the connected TV platform and Google come to a head. On Monday morning, Roku began warning its customers with a YouTube TV subscription that the service could go dark on the connected TV platform, accusing Google of anticompetitive behavior. “Google is attempting to use its YouTube monopoly position to force Roku into accepting predatory, anti-competitive and discriminatory terms that will directly harm Roku and our users,” the company said in a lengthy statement. Roku alleges that Google is asking Roku to manipulate consumer search by forcing Roku to block non-YouTube results for users inside the YouTube TV app. Essentially, Roku claims that Google wants to prevent results from third-party apps like Netflix or Hulu from appearing in search if the YouTube TV app is open. “Given antitrust suits against Google, investigations by competition authorities of anti-competitive behavior and Congressional hearings into Google’s practices, it should come as no surprise that Google is now demanding unfair and anti-competitive terms that harm Roku’s users,” the statement reads. The allegations come as antitrust investigations into Google multiply in both the U.S. and Europe, including a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice and 11 states. “Google is already under fire from governments around the world for manipulating search results. It is outrageous that Google would now try to insist on manipulating Roku’s search results as well,” the statement reads. Finances do not play a role Cable and satellite customers are no stranger to carriage disputes, but in a streaming world these arguments aren't as simple. The stalemate with Google is different from a standard carriage disagreement, which usually centers around economic terms. Roku said finances do not play a role in the current dispute and that it “is not asking Google for a single additional dollar in value” to carry the YouTube TV app. “We simply cannot agree to terms that would manipulate consumer search results, inflate the cost of our products and violate established industry data practices,” said Roku. In an email sent to customers Monday morning, Roku said negotiations have “broken down” and is encouraging subscribers to contact Google and “urge them to reach an agreement to continue offering YouTube TV on Roku and to follow standard industry practices pledging not to require access to sensitive search data or to manipulate your search results.” Roku charges that Google is attempting to tie other aspects of Google’s assets in with the YouTube TV negotiations, most specifically trying to force additional anticompetitive benefits for Google’s separate YouTube app and making their hardware price more competitive. The dispute is only related to YouTube TV and not the larger YouTube app, which is not currently up for carriage negotiation. YouTube TV first arrived on Roku in 2018. In a statement, a YouTube TV spokesperson said that Roku was making inaccurate claims about how the company works to bring YouTube to its users. "We have been working with Roku in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits our viewers and their customers," the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, Roku often engages in these types of tactics in their negotiations. We’re disappointed that they chose to make baseless claims while we continue our ongoing negotiations. All of our work with them has been focused on ensuring a high quality and consistent experience for our viewers. We have made no requests to access user data or interfere with search results. We hope we can resolve this for the sake of our mutual users.” This isn’t the first time Roku has had a public-facing carriage spat. WarnerMedia and Roku struck a distribution deal for HBO Max in October after months of negotiations, and in September reached a deal for Peacock after Comcast threatened to remove access to dozens of NBCUniversal apps. In January 2020, Roku and Fox resolved their distribution standoff and reached a new agreement just in time for Super Bowl 54, which aired on Fox. This is, however, one of the first big carriage disputes in the streaming era surrounding a virtual MVPD. Roku Expands Measurement Program to Track Ad Performance Across Screens

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YouTube TV May Go Dark on Roku as Platform Accuses Google of Anticompetitive Behavior

The carriage disagreement is centered around data, not dollars

Mollie Cahillane

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Mollie Cahillane