Roku has removed its YouTube TV app from its platform, putting into action what it warned earlier this week in a distribution dispute with Google.

Current YouTube TV subscribers will continue to be able to access the app on their Roku devices, but new subscribers will not be able to register. The main YouTube app is unaffected.

This is a clash of titans. Google is, well, Google; YouTube TV is the top-rated live TV service with over 3 million users and the best cable TV alternative; Roku is the leader in streaming platforms, running on one-third of all smart TVs in North America; and YouTube TV is the best cable TV alternative with over 3 million users, boasts over 50 million active accounts by the end of 2020.

Google has its own streaming device called Chromecast and a streaming platform called Google TV, so the two companies are competitors.

A major part of the dispute is Roku's accusation that Google is engaging in anti-competitive behavior. According to Roku, Google demanded preferential treatment for YouTube TV and YouTube apps, manipulation of consumer search results, and access to data not available to other companies.

Both Roku and YouTube TV have expressed "disappointment" in each other; Roku sent the following statement to Tom's Guide: "We are disappointed that Google let our agreement for YouTube TV distribution lapse. Roku has not requested a single dollar of additional financial consideration from Google to renew YouTube TV."

Earlier this week, YouTube TV stated: "Unfortunately, Roku often takes this tactic in negotiations. We are disappointed that they have chosen to make unsubstantiated claims while we have been in ongoing negotiations."

The company has also stated that "Roku is not a party to the negotiations.

The Roku v. Google battle is reminiscent of carriage disputes between cable providers and networks. Cable TV users may remember trying to click on a channel and getting a message that such-and-such media company was being difficult (i.e., demanding more money from the cable company). Now the battle has shifted to streaming.

Roku has been involved in distribution disputes before, most notably with Fox in 2020. The two companies reached an agreement to keep Fox's app on Roku devices in time for the Super Bowl. Roku also delayed the addition of the HBO Max app to its platform.