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Google and Amazon have been duking it out for about a month now concerning access to YouTube on certain devices like the Amazon Fire TV or the Amazon Echo Show. The Echo Show had its access to YouTube videos revoked back in September, with Google citing a poor experience as the main reason.
Both companies eventually confirmed that they were in talks with one another to address the issue, but Google eventually stated it would remove support for YouTube on Fire TV devices come the 1st of the new year. However, it looks like that support got pulled a little early as some Fire TV users are reporting being re-directed to Amazon’s own Silk browser or Firefox as a method of accessing YouTube.
One of Google’s main complaints with Amazon is that the retailer doesn’t allow competitor’s products on its storefront. Amazon removed the Chromecast and Apple TV for sale from the US site when the Fire TV launched and most recently removed a new series of Nest thermostats that featured Assistant support. Part of Amazon’s efforts to make things right with Google has included bringing the Chromecast back to its storefront.
Mozilla has thrown its hat in the ring by making Firefox available on Fire TV devices for the first time, with the explicit intention of giving those who own the devices access to content they want to see. There’s also some speculation that Amazon is working on a YouTube competitor to eventually cut into Google’s territory.
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