Just as Amazon buddies up again with Apple, it seems there’s another bitter feud that needs patching up. Google and Amazon. C’mon guys, can’t we just get along?
Google recently announced that it is pulling YouTube from all Amazon Fire TVs and Echo Shows, effective 1 January 2018. The popular video platform on the other hand is being pulled with immediate effect on the Echo Show.
As reported by TNW, it first started with Amazon pulling listings of the Chromecast on its store, naturally to promote its own streaming devices. Amazon then cited “consumer confusion.”
It didn’t add a Prime Video app on the Google Play Store, instead only offered it in its own curated Amazon Store. It didn’t stop there. Amazon also declined to support Google Cast, until it quietly added it to Amazon Music last month.
It’s been pretty much tit-for-tat for the past couple of years.
A Google spokesperson said, “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.”
Amazon then told The Verge:
“Google is setting a disappointing precedent by selectively blocking customer access to an open website. We hope to resolve this with Google as soon as possible.”
https://twitter.com/dcseifert/status/933038143586160640
The withdrawal of YouTube will affect millions of existing Fire TV owners, and assuming Google and Amazon do not resolve their long-standing feud, there will be some very disgruntled customers in the new year.
As a customer, it will be understandably frustrating, as there is not proper explanation on why the essential video app is being pulled from their favourite streaming device.
https://twitter.com/cngare_/status/938148988548800512
Who’s right? And who’s wrong? Regardless, for the sake of consumers, I hope this bitter war ends soon.
