A day before Google was scheduled to remove YouTube from the Roku appstore, Google and Roku have reached an agreement that will keep YouTube accessible on Roku devices and will return the YouTube TV app to Roku’s channel store. The deal is said to be a multi-year agreement between the two companies, but nothing else has been said about the specifics of the arrangement. Read more ›
History repeats itself, only this time it’s not Google leveraging the popularity of YouTube against Amazon and Fire TVs, but against Roku and new Roku devices. Google has stated that it will be removing the YouTube app from the Roku channel store on December 9th, which will prevent new and factory reset Roku devices from accessing the video service, according to Variety. This is a result of negotiations between Google and Roku regarding app distribution terms going nowhere for the past 6 months, which has already resulted in the removal of YouTube TV from the Roku channel store. Read more ›
Roku has just announced new devices and software updates for 2021. The most significant new device is a new Roku Streaming Stick 4K which now includes Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, plus a performance boost over the 4-year-old Streaming Stick+ that it replaces. There’s also a slightly refreshed Roku Ultra LT, and a new TCL soundbar for Roku Smart TVs. Roku OS 10.5 has also been detailed with quicker access to live TV channels, music search, and wider support for launching apps by voice. Read more ›
Here is a round-up of the top deals on streaming devices across all major brands that are currently available. Included are deals on Fire TV devices, Android TV devices, Roku devices, and Apple TV deals. While I’m certainly partial to the Fire TV deals, there are certainly some others that a worth considering. Read more ›
Google has announced that they are adding access to YouTube TV through the standard YouTube app. This allows them to, essentially, get around Roku’s removal of the YouTube TV app since the YouTube app is still accessible on Roku devices. At the bottom of the YouTube app’s left-side navigation menu will soon be a button “Go to YouTube TV” button. Read more ›
Roku has dropped YouTube TV from its channel store, making it impossible to install the service on any Roku device. This is due to a dispute between Roku and Google regarding the terms of their contract renewal which the two companies have not been able to agree on. Roku has chosen not to remove the YouTube TV app from devices that already have it installed, but they warn customers that there is no way to reinstall the app, should they choose to uninstall it or reset their Roku device. Read more ›
Roku and Google are currently in a dispute which may result in the YouTube TV app being removed from Roku devices. At the core of this dispute are features that Google wants Roku devices to support. Neither company is being overtly specific about the features in question but Roku says they “harm users” and are “anticompetitive,” while Google says the features “ensure a high-quality and consistent experience for our viewers.” The more we learn about these requested features, the more it seems like Amazon’s Fire TV devices already support them, and rightfully so. Read more ›
Another month, another dispute between streaming services and streaming hardware manufacturers. This time it’s between Roku and Google over the presence of YouTube TV and YouTube app on Roku devices. It looks like the agreement between the two companies is up for renewal shortly and negotiations “have broken down,” according to an email Roku sent to its customers in hopes of garnering support that they can leverage against Google. Read more ›
In addition to new streaming media players, Roku has also announced a new remote that they’re calling the Voice Remote Pro (Amazon link). Unlike any of their other remotes, the new Voice Remote Pro has a built-in rechargable battery and hands-free voice capabilities that let you make voice requests without touching the remote, like you can with an Amazon Echo or Fire TV Cube. Read more ›
Roku has announced a few new products this morning. First is a pair of new entry-level 4K streaming media players, the Express 4K for $34.99 as a Walmart exclusive and the Express 4K+ for $39.99 (Amazon link). These replace the companies aging Roku Premiere models and differ only in the remotes that they come with. Roku is also refreshing its primary soundbar model with the new Streambar Pro for $179.99. This appears to just be a rebranding of the older Roku Smart Sounbar, but with a slightly better remote. Read more ›
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