If you have a Roku streaming device without YouTube’s app on it, you should download it before December 9th. The two giant companies are fighting, and Roku’s deal to host YouTube in its store is set to expire very shortly.
That said, anyone who already has the app downloaded will be fine. However, the app likely won’t get more updates until the two media giants broker a deal.
This wouldn’t be the first time that a corporate fight resulted in YouTube being pulled from a service. Back in 2017, Google removed YouTube from Fire TV as the two companies feuded over Chromecast sales in Amazon’s store.
While the public has been aware of this Roku vs YouTube (Google) feud since April 2021, at least one of the companies is lying about what’s causing it. Roku says that Google is trying to muscle its way to the top of search ranking on the platform and some other perks that other apps aren’t privy to on Roku’s platform. On the other hand, Google says that it’s just trying to renew its existing deal with Roku.
Source: The Verge