YouTube Comes to Roku as Google Bets on Content

One small step for man, one giant leap for cat videos — Roku now has a dedicated YouTube channel.

YouTube and Roku both announced the moved today in respective blog posts (Roku) (YouTube). In addition to being able to access YouTube videos in HD, the new service will also include a "Send to TV" option that gives users the option to navigate with their smartphone. For now, only the Roku 3 will have the YouTube app.

Representatives of both Roku and Google, which owns YouTube, declined to comment on the deal beyond the blog posts.

The deal represents a major coup for Roku, which lost its unofficial YouTube channel in 2010. Since then, Google struggled with its "Google TV" products and went in a different direction with Chromecast, which streams online content directly to a television. Read more...