Month: April 2021

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Roku warned us on Monday that this could happen. This morning, the company announced that YouTube TV is no longer available on the Roku Channel Store. Google and Roku are squabbling over Roku's carrying agreement, just like you might see in an old-school cable TV carriage dispute. The main point of contention seems to be over the AV1 video codec, a new, more efficient video standard that seems poised to be the new standard going forward.

With the two companies unable to come to an agreement, Roku says the YouTube TV app—an app for a $65-per-month service that delivers 85+ live cable TV channels over the Internet, not the normal YouTube app—has been pulled from the Roku channel store. Existing users will continue to be able to use the YouTube TV app on their Roku devices, but new users won't be able to sign up. Here is Roku's full statement:

We are disappointed that Google has allowed our agreement for the distribution of YouTube TV to expire. Roku has not asked for one dollar of additional financial consideration from Google to renew YouTube TV. ​

​We have only asked Google for four simple commitments. First, not to manipulate consumer search results. Second, not to require access to data not available to anyone else. Third, not to leverage their YouTube monopoly to force Roku to accept hardware requirements that would increase consumer costs. Fourth, not to act in a discriminatory and anticompetitive manner against Roku. ​

​Because our contract has expired, we have removed YouTube TV from our channel store. To continue to provide our users with a great streaming experience, we are taking the extra step to continue to offer existing subscribers access to YouTube TV on the Roku platform unless Google takes actions that require the full removal of the channel. Because of Google's conduct, new subscriptions will not be available going forward until an agreement is reached. ​

​It is well past time for Google to embrace the principles that have made streaming so popular for millions of users by giving consumers control of their streaming experience, by embracing fair competition and by ceasing anticompetitive practices. We believe consumers stand to benefit from Google and Roku reaching a fair agreement that preserves these principles and we remain committed to trying to achieve that goal.

Today, Google published a blog post in response, saying, "Despite our best efforts to come to an agreement in the best interests of our mutual users, Roku terminated our deal in bad faith amidst our negotiation. Unfortunately, Roku has often engaged in this tactic with other streaming providers." Google flatly denied Roku's claims that Google wanted user data and wanted to manipulate search, saying, "To be clear, we have never, as they have alleged, made any requests to access user data or interfere with search results. This claim is baseless and false."

Enlarge / The Valve logo, as seen in an etched design at its offices. (credit: Sam Machkovech)

Indie developer (and Humble Indie Bundle originator Wolfire Games has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Steam creator Valve, saying that the company is wielding Steam's monopoly power over the PC gaming market to extract "an extraordinarily high cut from nearly every sale that passes through its store—30%."

An unbreakable monopoly

The lawsuit, filed in a Washington state federal court, centers on what it considers an illegal tying of the Steam gaming platform (which provides game library management, social networking, achievement tracking, Steam Workshop mods, etc.) and the Steam game store (which processes online payments and delivers a copy of the game). After years of growth, the vast majority of PC gamers are locked in to the Steam platform thanks to "immense network effects" and the high switching costs to move to a new PC platform, the suit argues.

That makes the platform "a must-have for game publishers," who need access to the players on Steam to succeed. But games that use the Steam platform also have to be sold on the Steam Store, where Valve takes its 30 percent cut of all sales. By leveraging its monopoly platform power into a "gatekeeper role" for the store, Valve "wield[s] extreme power over publishers of PC Desktop Games" that leads to a "small but significant and non-transitory increase in price" for developers compared to a truly competitive market, the suit argues.

Enlarge / An Apple-made image of the various Macs running on the M1 to date. (credit: Apple)

As previously announced, today is the day: orders are open on the Apple Store and through other retailers for the remaining hardware products that Apple announced on April 20: the 24-inch iMac and the new iPad Pro and Apple TV 4K.

Yesterday, we reported that multiple leaks seemed to reveal a May 21 ship date for these products, and those leaks turned out to be correct. The initial ship date for all of the above was May 21, but ship estimates have slipped slightly due to demand for some products—and significantly for others.

Specifically, most configurations of the 24-inch iMac, 11-inch iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K are currently showing ship dates between May 21 and 27, while some specific configurations of the iMac and 11-inch iPad Pro are shipping in early June. The worst case, though, is the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which in some configurations is shipping as late as July.

Enlarge / Spotify and Apple Music on an iPhone in 2018. (credit: Getty Images | stockcam)

The European Commission today charged Apple with violating antitrust law, alleging that "it distorted competition in the music streaming market as it abused its dominant position for the distribution of music streaming apps through its App Store."

The EC sent a Statement of Objections to Apple reflecting its preliminary conclusion that Apple violated European Union competition law. This kicks off a legal process in which Apple will be able to respond in writing and request an oral hearing before a final judgment is made. The EC took today's action in response to a complaint from Spotify.

"If the case is pursued, the EU could demand concessions and potentially impose a fine of up to 10 percent of Apple's global turnover—as much as $27 billion, although it rarely levies the maximum penalty," according to Reuters.

Enlarge / Engine cutoff, with SN11 entering its bellyflop maneuver, on March 30, 2021. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)

SpaceX has received permission from the US Federal Aviation Administration to launch its latest Starship prototype, SN15, and it may attempt to do so as early as Friday afternoon from South Texas.

The primary concern today is weather, as there are intermittent rain showers due to a stationary front draped over the region. However, some of the higher resolution weather forecast models indicate that conditions could clear up later this afternoon. Perhaps rain will not matter all that much, as SpaceX has not specified the weather conditions under which it will launch Starship. One month ago, the company launched its previous prototype, SN11, into a thick bank of fog.

On Thursday, the FAA said it had approved not just the flight of SN15 to an altitude of about 10 km but the next two vehicles as well. "The FAA has authorized the next three launches of the SpaceX Starship prototype," the federal agency said in a statement. "The agency approved multiple launches because SpaceX is making few changes to the launch vehicle and relied on the FAA’s approved methodology to calculate the risk to the public.