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Comment by hristov | Hacker News Reader

Googles demand is very reasonable and it is exactly what I (and most other customers, I am sure) expect of the behavior of the software. When I am within an app and do a search I expect the search to be either limited to that app (preferable) or if not, the results of the search that are within the app should be somehow highlighted.

If I pay $40/month for Youtube TV, and go into the Youtube TV app, and search for a show, I am searching for a show within the offerings of the app I am in. I do not want to be offered a show in a yet another app for which I will have to pay yet another monthly fee.

And I especially do not want to be driven towards another service for which I will have to pay another monthly fee, if the show I am searching for is already available in the app I am already paying for and from which I am searching.

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I'm pretty sure this refers to Roku's top level search which searches across all apps not the search inside the YouTube app.

Why are you pretty sure about that? From what I have read about it, it seems the argument is very much for search results within the youtube app.

From the Roku blog post:

First, Google continues to interfere with Roku’s independent search results, requiring that we preference YouTube over other content providers.

That's Roku's own search app Google are trying to influence.

https://www.roku.com/blog/en-gb/update-on-youtube-tv

I am sure of this. I help lead search for Hulu and Disney+ and own a RokuTV. Roku already allows you the option to voice search inside the app you are already in (this has to be enabled by the Roku app developer I believe).

This definitely refers to the universal search Roku offers, and, if true, is an absurd ask on Google's part.

I have a Roku. YouTube's app, along with all others I have used, only search content within that app.

> "If I pay $40/month for Youtube TV..."

Where are you getting YouTube TV for anywhere near $40/mo? That may have been the price at launch, but it's already climbed more than 50% over the past few years. If you really want live television, I'm not even sure whether cutting the cord and going with an over-the-top package is even cheaper these days.

The only reason it would not be cheaper is if the ISP monopoly, usually coaxial cable internet providers, are bundling internet with TV channel services.

Otherwise it makes no sense that you can add a middleman that needs to employ labor that has to go around to people’s houses and have it be the same cost.

And if the opposite is true?

If the content is paid on youtube, but available for free through another subscription service that Roku knows you have?

Well, if I am within the you tube app, I am searching youtube first and I want the youtube results to be at least presented first. If I want to search all the services, I can search from the roku homescreen.

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