Google are fed up with Amazon, remove YouTube from Fire TV
In the new year Google will stop you streaming YouTube on your Fire TV, so no more lounging in front of cat videos for you Fire stick owners.
Starting January 1st for the indefinite future you will no longer be able to stream YouTube videos from Amazon Fire TV. This comes just weeks after YouTube reluctantly came back to Amazon’s new Echo Show speakers using the web player after abruptly taking themselves off the platform.
It’s still working for now and reportedly will until the end of December, though using YouTube on Fire TV will present you with a notification that YouTube will become unavailable from January 1st, 2018. The notification doesn’t say anything about returning to the Fire stick but does cheekily make mention of the fact there are plenty of other devices where YouTube is supported.
YouTube gave a statement to The Verge regarding the removal, showing that relationships between the two tech giants are shaky:
“We’ve been trying to reach agreement with Amazon to give consumers access to each other’s products and services. But Amazon doesn’t carry Google products like Chromecast and Google Home, doesn’t make Prime Video available for Google Cast users, and last month stopped selling some of Nest’s latest products. Given this lack of reciprocity, we are no longer supporting YouTube on Echo Show and FireTV. We hope we can reach an agreement to resolve these issues soon.”
It’s kind of funny seeing billion dollar companies get petty, but it’s also worrying for service neutrality. Up until now many devices support services from other companies because it adds value to their product and gives freedom to the customers. If companies begin looking out for their own backs only it may see a degradation in the possibilities of their products. But for now you just won’t be able to watch YouTube on Fire sticks next year.
As our computer is over 10 years old and we over 65 ourselves find we cant afford nor would find it easy to adjust to new technology, our YouTube reception is poor on the computer. We both enjoy watching the different news channels and many of the recommended viewings YouTube offer and watch it on our
Amazon Fire stick for several hours a day. We are so disappointed about the ending of it on our fire stick in January, and hope something can be sorted before then.
Hopefully Google and Amazon can come to some agreement soon! It’s just the bottom line talking at the moment
This is absolutely screwed and completely childish. We enjoyed watching youtube for many reasons on amazon. Seriously am hating Google more and more.
Seriously think your hate is misplaced. The hate should rest with Amazon they are sooo selfish there really should be some give and take .
i am so upset about this …i watch this everyday on my firestick and im soooooooo mad how to we stop this from happening.
Glad I saw this, I was going to buy several of these as Christmas gifts but now I won’t be buying them, if they will no longer have YouTube available to view with them. YouTube and Netflix are the main reasons I was going to purchase them. Oh well.
I saw this notice this morning and I’m really disappointed. Once again, the customers are getting short-changed. I hope that an agreement can be reach for our sake.
I watch YouTube more than anything else on my Fire TV Stick. I’m sick and tired of these companies making the customers pay for their “bitter feuds.” I use pretty much solely Google and Amazon products, but if Google goes through with this, they will lose a long-time faithful user.
I really wish YouTube remains on fire stick
Forget google this is ridiculous
Well looks like I’ll be switching to Apple tv
OMG. This is crazy. Thats all my husband watches is utube and I watch the movies. This is so unfair. Just a way to charge another fee. I knew it was to good to be true when i got the firestick and canceled cable.
Amazon is showing us yet again that it does not care for its audience . If the issue is not having chrome cast and whatever on the site just ass them . Prime videos already do not work outside of the USA what the f are we even paying for prime for
I hope they will come to an agreement soon
It will back soon, I have used firestick with youtube and it’s a really good experience for me.
It would be better for users if they come together. this type of thing is not good for us.