Roku and YouTube have made amends – and Roku shareholders are clearly overjoyed with the resolution.
On Twitter, Roku confirmed that it had reached a “multi-year extension with Google for YouTube and YouTube TV.” The company added, “This agreement represents a positive development for our shared customers, making both YouTube and YouTube TV available for all streamers on the Roku platform.”
CNN reports that, after the announcement, Roku shares surged 18% to $256 – which is still down from its 2021 high of $490 per share in June. Meanwhile, Google shares remained flat.
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YouTube TV has not been available to download on Roku since April, but Google’s previous deal with Roku was set to expire tomorrow, meaning that the flagship YouTube app would’ve been unavailable for new downloaders as well (though users who had already downloaded the apps would’ve been unaffected).
Prior to the detente, the companies had been involved in a monthslong carriage skirmish. The dispute reportedly revolved around Google requesting special access to search data and prioritized search results for YouTube videos on Roku — though Google has previously denied asking for data or interfering with search results.
