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Wow, Roku is really really mad at Google


Roku and Google may be going through contract negotiations but something is telling me that this may have something more to do with the new Chromecast with Google TV than the terms and conditions of a deal. If you are unaware, Roku sent their customers an email informing them that the Youtube TV channel may be going away due to ongoing contract negotiation issues with Google. Now, this is not uncommon as huge companies tend to have these spats behind closed doors but this situation was being reported on quite a bit today.


Check out what Roku had to say (via The Verge)


“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,” a Roku spokesperson said in a statement Monday. “It should come as no surprise that Google is now demanding unfair and anti-competitive terms that harm Roku’s users.”​


And now Google’s retort (via The Verge)


“We have been working with Roku in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits our viewers and their customers. 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,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge Monday. “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.”


Hopefully, these two tech juggernauts can squash their beef for the good of their customers and users. It sucks that this had to play out publicly but hopefully this will lead to a deal where both companies can/will benefit.


Links(s)

The Verge


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