Youtube TV application Roku Lost: What came next [Update: Youtube Statement]
Today the YouTube TV application was removed from Roku because Google and Roku did not reach an agreement for the license extension. The contract between the company will require that Roku agrees with the requirements they recommend, they are uncomfortable. This provision seems to be to place Google Apps and services at the top of the search results, and provide Google with user tracking data, Roku said they did not need.
If you are a Roku user and currently using the YouTube TV application, you must be fine for a while. Roku said they would not enter and delete the application from your device, and would not cut the service unless Google intervened. At present, it’s just a YouTube TV application registered for download with Roku Channel stores that are deleted as a list.
New subscriptions for YouTube TV will not be able to be activated, even if you have installed the YouTube TV application. If you have installed a YouTube TV application and you already have a subscription, you must be able to access YouTube TV on your Roku.
The YouTube Standard application will not be affected by this situation, as far as any official source said. Youtube TV and YouTube have a separate contract agreement with Roku, and one may not bear the others. This does not mean that this situation will not change the way Google works with Roku in the future – it can happen.
Users have reported that the YouTube TV application for Roku remains active and not affected for now. It can be disabled in the future, but for now it will remain available to users as long as they have subscribed and already have a standard application on their Roku device.
Update: YouTube representatives released a statement about this issue, suggesting that “Offer to Roku is simple and still stand: Update Youtube TV transactions under the existing reasoning requirements.” They suggest that Roku “choose to use this as a separate agreement that includes the main YouTube application.”
YouTube representatives also suggest that Roku “ask for exceptions” for their technical requirements “which will damage the YouTube experience and limit our ability to update YouTube to fix problems or add new features.” This includes Roku does not approve the open-source video codec.
Most importantly, Youtube representatives say they are “never, because they accuse, make a request to access user data or interfere with search results. This claim is baseless and wrong.”