Roku Shares Trade Lower On Tussle With YouTube

Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL YouTube will no longer allow Roku Inc ROKU customers to download the YouTube or YouTube TV apps to their devices starting Dec. 9, CNBC reports.
The decision came after a months-long tussle between the companies that attracted the attention of Congress.
Anyone who buys a new Roku device after Dec. 9 will not be able to install YouTube apps.
Roku alleged Google of misusing its authoritative market power to force hostile terms on a competitor.
An email sent from a Google executive to Roku counters Google’s public statement that it did not ask Roku for special treatment before allowing YouTube apps on Roku devices.
Roku alleged Google demanded special access to search data from Roku customers as a condition of allowing YouTube TV on Roku devices. Google also asked for prioritized search results for YouTube videos in Roku’s search feature.
Roku agreed to those terms but also asked that Google not seek any additional data. However, Google would not commit to that.
Google denied the allegations.
YouTube and Roku compete not just with streaming video devices but also in digital ads.
Alphabet shares are trading lower following a tweet from a Bloomberg reporter Oct. 21 stating Google is lowering its cut from subscriptions on Google Pay from 30% to 15%.
ROKU Price Action: ROKU shares traded lower by 4.05% at $320.30 Thursday.