Roku and Google finally resolve YouTube dispute: a new deal is struck

After an arguably needless period of a court dispute over a contract extension, Roku and Google have finally found mutual ground to step on, just a day before the deadline. Google had threatened to take away the YouTube app from Roku’s platform if no agreement was reached.

The situation came to light back in October when a blog post from Roku revealed to users what was going on behind the curtains. Roku accused Google of anti-competitive demands, and Google was not willing to back down on its demands. As a response to this stalemate, however, the search giant announced it would no longer place its apps on future Roku devices after December 9th.

Thankfully, the two companies somehow saw eye to eye, which means Google will continue to make money and Roku will go on to deliver to its users a key video service.

In an email to The Verge, a Roku spokesperson said that “this agreement represents a positive development for our shared customers, making both YouTube and YouTube TV available for all streamers on the Roku platform.” He also described the new deal as a multi-year one, which will allow YouTube and YouTube TV to continue living on the streaming platform.

Additionally, Google has also come out with a comment confirming the deal and that both YouTube apps will be available to Roku users. Interestingly, the YouTube TV app had already been removed, but it seems there will be no issue in adding it back to the Roku app store.

So, another court game between big companies ends after a long and somewhat comical prolonged period. Hopefully, when this new contract comes to its end, things will go a bit smoother, and users of both service providers don’t have to suffer any avoidable consequences.