Google threatening to pull youtube from Fire TV

Attention Fire TV owners: YouTube might soon disappear from your Amazon streaming device. But you'll still have options.

Google is threatening to pull YouTube from Fire TV by Jan. 1, the latest round in a fierce battle between the two tech heavyweights. If that happens, Fire TV owners can still watch on a phone, tablet or personal computer. That includes an Amazon Fire tablet, as Google hasn't threatened to block that yet.

For those willing to abandon Fire TV, just about any other device will play YouTube. Not all of them will play video from Amazon, although Apple TV just got Amazon's app Wednesday.

The Case for Fire TV

YouTube was never the centerpiece of Fire TV to begin with. It's not even a full-fledged app on Fire TV — just a link to a YouTube website designed for mobile devices.

Fire TV itself is best seen as a companion to Amazon's $99-a-year Prime loyalty program rather than a full-fledged streaming device. Although Amazon has gotten better about promoting rival services, video available through Prime remains prominent.