Roku's deal with YouTube TV ended in April and Roku pulled the app off its platform as a result.
Roku has reached a multi-year agreement with Google to keep YouTube and YouTube TV on its streaming platform.
The deal will allow the 56.4m active Roku accounts to continue to watch YouTube and YouTube TV, Google’s live streaming service, without disruption.
The companies reached the agreement just days before their previous deal covering YouTube on Roku was set to expire on December 9.
In April 2021, Roku’s deal to distribute YouTube TV expired and Roku removed the app from its channel store at the time (while the YouTube TV service remained accessible through the main YouTube). YouTube TV offers live streams of nearly 100 popular channels, including ESPN, CBS, Fox News and CNN, as well as other AT&T/WarnerMedia-owned networks such as TNT and TBS.
The negotiation between Roku and YouTube became contentious over both parties’ need for advertising revenue. Roku asks for a percentage of advertising inventory to sell to its customers in each carriage deal it negotiates. YouTube dominates streaming viewing and has the popularity to push back on Roku’s demands. Roku claimed Google required it to preference YouTube content over that of other providers in the company’s search results.
Mariana De Felice, YouTube spokesperson, said: “We’re happy to share that we’ve reached a deal with Roku to continue distributing the YouTube and YouTube TV apps on Roku devices. This means that Roku customers will continue to have access to YouTube and that the YouTube TV app will once again be available in the Roku store for both new and existing members. We are pleased to have a partnership that benefits our mutual users.”
In a statement, Roku added: “Roku and Google have agreed to a multi-year extension for both YouTube and YouTube TV. This agreement represents a positive development for our shared customers, making both YouTube and YouTube TV available for all streamers on the Roku platform.”
