Google Executives Told YouTube Not To Enable A First-class YouTube Experience On Windows Phones

Microsoft today again raised its voice over Google’s continued unfair business practices. U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission opened their formal antitrust investigations into Google’s business practices few years back and since then EC raised four areas of concern regarding Google’s business practices and asked them to provide solution or else it should face enforcement action. In US according to news reports, FTC is planning to close the investigation if Google makes some “voluntary commitments”.

Microsoft today blogged about how Google is still blocking full YouTube access to Windows Phone users and revealed that senior executives at Google told YouTube developers not to enable a first-class YouTube experience on Windows Phones.

Despite government scrutiny, Google continues to block Microsoft from offering its customers proper access to YouTube. This is an important issue because consumers value YouTube access on their phone: YouTube apps on the Android and Apple platforms were two of the most downloaded mobile applications in 2012, according to recent news reports. Yet Google still refuses to allow Windows Phone users to have the same access to YouTube that Android and Apple customers enjoy. Microsoft has continued to engage with YouTube personnel over the past two years to remedy this problem for consumers. As you might expect, it appears that YouTube itself would like all customers – on Windows Phone as on any other device – to have a great YouTube experience. But just last month we learned from YouTube that senior executives at Google told them not to enable a first-class YouTube experience on Windows Phones.

Do you think FTC will take strict action against Google to make them follow fair business practices?

Source: Microsoft