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> From Roku's blog post, it seems that Google wants a dedicated area in the global search for YouTube results. For example, If you search for "Last Week Tonight

by judge2020 5y ago

> From Roku's blog post, it seems that Google wants a dedicated area in the global search for YouTube results. For example, If you search for "Last Week Tonight", Google wants a YouTube results row showing clips on their service above results from other content platforms like HBO Max. Basically, Google wants to have the placement that search ads get on their platform on Roku. Previous discussions[0] suggested that it was simply "where does pressing the remote search button take you". If you're in the YT TV app, Google likely wanted the button to focus the search button within the app, not bring you back to the system-wide search. 0: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26944837 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26944837

Pxtl 5y ago
As a user, I see Google's point on this. I often get annoyed when I want to search within the system I'm using and get pushed to a global search, when I want to stay in the app. I'm sure to the app developers this is doubly annoying because it means taking their users away to other platforms. Ironically Google themselves are pretty bad about this - on any given google product it's a roll of the dice what the scope of the "search" button will be.
- sixothree 5y ago
  You can search within the youtube app for youtube content.
ethbr0 5y ago
It's a great example of what both companies see as their value proposition (to users, and to Wall Street). Roku: aggregating multiple streaming providers in a provider-agnostic way Google: centralizing streaming through the YouTube brand (considering it comprises multiple offerings now) I'm not a huge fan of Roku, due to data collection, but it's apparent who's on the side of the user here. Google/YouTube has finally grown big enough to be everything we hated about legacy content providers.
- skinnymuch 5y ago
  This isn’t new. Google messed with YouTube (and Maps) on Windows Phone which is now many years ago.
- supernovae 5y ago
  NextDNS seems to block Roku's data collection efforts (as well as other "smart tvs")
  - entropicdrifter 5y ago
    My PiHole blocks the Roku data collection, too
jeffbee 5y ago
LG WebOS has a YouTube TV app and the search button in the remote takes you to the global search function. This doesn’t seem to cause any friction between google and LG. Because YouTube TV seems to work everywhere but on roku I tend to blame roku here.
- samtheprogram 5y ago
  Or LG WebOS is not a big enough market for Google to care about the experience to put their foot down, at that point they’d rather be on the device (and controlling other devices where it counts). This is all hearsay though and it’s unclear if Google even made such demands to Roku.
  - jeffbee 5y ago
    LG has 11% of the global TV market and its home electronics division revenues are 20 times larger than Roku's.
    - toast0 5y ago
      LG tvs are quite a bit more expensive than Roku boxes (Roku TVs are made and sold by other parties), so comparing revenue is not very meaningful. Also since home electronics consists of many products, and Roku has essentially a single product.
    - samtheprogram 5y ago
      In most markets, LG and Roku are quite competitive and within a few percentage points of one another. In South America, a less mature but fast growing market, LG has a significant lead over Roku with 23% market share. But in North America, Roku is the market leader with 37% market share, to LG's 4%. Globally, Roku controls 30% (down from 33% in 2020). https://www.protocol.com/roku-global-expansion-conviva-data https://www.protocol.com/roku-global-expansion-conviva-data "Home electronics" covers a lot more than streaming, and even a portion of that revenue could account for users with an LG TV who use a Roku device instead of WebOS. It's not a good comparison.
- 5y ago

Pxtl 5y ago

As a user, I see Google's point on this. I often get annoyed when I want to search within the system I'm using and get pushed to a global search, when I want to stay in the app. I'm sure to the app developers this is doubly annoying because it means taking their users away to other platforms. Ironically Google themselves are pretty bad about this - on any given google product it's a roll of the dice what the scope of the "search" button will be.

sixothree 5y ago
You can search within the youtube app for youtube content.

ethbr0 5y ago

It's a great example of what both companies see as their value proposition (to users, and to Wall Street). Roku: aggregating multiple streaming providers in a provider-agnostic way Google: centralizing streaming through the YouTube brand (considering it comprises multiple offerings now) I'm not a huge fan of Roku, due to data collection, but it's apparent who's on the side of the user here. Google/YouTube has finally grown big enough to be everything we hated about legacy content providers.

skinnymuch 5y ago
This isn’t new. Google messed with YouTube (and Maps) on Windows Phone which is now many years ago.
supernovae 5y ago
NextDNS seems to block Roku's data collection efforts (as well as other "smart tvs")
- entropicdrifter 5y ago
  My PiHole blocks the Roku data collection, too

jeffbee 5y ago

LG WebOS has a YouTube TV app and the search button in the remote takes you to the global search function. This doesn’t seem to cause any friction between google and LG. Because YouTube TV seems to work everywhere but on roku I tend to blame roku here.

samtheprogram 5y ago
Or LG WebOS is not a big enough market for Google to care about the experience to put their foot down, at that point they’d rather be on the device (and controlling other devices where it counts). This is all hearsay though and it’s unclear if Google even made such demands to Roku.
- jeffbee 5y ago
  LG has 11% of the global TV market and its home electronics division revenues are 20 times larger than Roku's.
  - toast0 5y ago
    LG tvs are quite a bit more expensive than Roku boxes (Roku TVs are made and sold by other parties), so comparing revenue is not very meaningful. Also since home electronics consists of many products, and Roku has essentially a single product.
  - samtheprogram 5y ago
    In most markets, LG and Roku are quite competitive and within a few percentage points of one another. In South America, a less mature but fast growing market, LG has a significant lead over Roku with 23% market share. But in North America, Roku is the market leader with 37% market share, to LG's 4%. Globally, Roku controls 30% (down from 33% in 2020). https://www.protocol.com/roku-global-expansion-conviva-data https://www.protocol.com/roku-global-expansion-conviva-data "Home electronics" covers a lot more than streaming, and even a portion of that revenue could account for users with an LG TV who use a Roku device instead of WebOS. It's not a good comparison.
5y ago