This site originally grew out of a shared love for Microsoft’s home theater PC platform: Windows Media Center. Naturally, it extended to embrace other Microsoft entertainment technology solutions. With all this experience in the Microsoft trenches we’re quite familiar with what a battle with Google can look like. While Windows Phone was gaining popularity, a feud arose between Google and Microsoft over the ability to access YouTube from the mobile platform. Even today the YouTube experience on Microsoft’s primary entertainment device, the Xbox One, isn’t great. At least it’s still available though, because once the calendar hits 2018, Amazon Fire TV devices won’t have YouTube at all.
The past couple of years have seen an escalating battle between Amazon and Google. They are direct competitors in many areas, and because of that they’ve found it very difficult to work together in other areas. The latest attack came from Google yesterday. They’ve announced that they will no longer allow users of Amazon’s Echo Show device to watch YouTube. Fans of the Amazon Fire TV devices won’t have access to YouTube starting January 1st.
Google’s primary justification for pulling YouTube from Amazon devices is that they don’t feel Amazon has returned the favors that Google has shown them. For example, you can’t buy a Chromecast or Google Home from Amazon’s store. Amazon’s Prime Video app for Android doesn’t support Chromecast either.
All hope is not lost for those looking to watch hilarious cat videos their favorite videos from YouTube on a television. The Xbox One still has a YouTube app, and if you don’t like it, there are third-party apps in the store. It also was one of the first living room streaming devices to have an Amazon video app. The NVIDIA SHIELD TV has YouTube, of course, but it also recently added an Amazon video app. It’s the only Android TV box to have an Amazon app. The Apple TV has a YouTube app, and now finally has an Amazon Prime Video app. Roku streamers also have both YouTube and Amazon video apps.
