The premature removal of YouTube from Fire TV has raised several eyebrows. While the industry was abuzz over a possible collaboration before January 1st, 2018, the date set by Google to pull the app, the early exit of YouTube from Fire TV app was something unexpected. Fast Company points out that it is Amazon who has made the call. Now YouTube can be accessed by external web browser instead of Fire TV.
However, this is not the first time that the two tech giants are colliding. Prior to this Amazon had also refused to sell few hardware items which it was also producing. Media players, smart speakers, devices such as Apple TV, Chromecast are not available on Amazon currently. Currently, the YouTube enthusiasts who are also subscribers of Fire TV have been redirected to web browsers before any disconnection. Users have also confirmed that side-loading YouTube still displays the warning message “Starting 1st Jan 2018, YouTube may not be available on this platform. You can continue to watch your favorite creators and videos in several other ways…”
