YouTube TV has begun alerting customers about the upcoming launch of an optional 4K content add-on and offering them a free Chromecast or TiVo device.
In emails sent to users—it’s unclear how many subscribers have been alerted—YouTube TV has been offering either a Chromecast with Google TV or TiVo Stream 4K device.
“To ensure our loyal YouTube TV members have a great watch experience (including the ability to watch 4K content on our optional new add-on service coming soon!), we want to offer you a free TiVo Stream 4K device,” the company wrote in an email obtained by 9to5Google.
The device offer could possibly be related to Google’s ongoing feud with Roku, which has removed YouTube TV from its app store due to a distribution dispute.
RELATED: Google builds YouTube TV back door on Roku platform
During a J.P. Morgan investor conference last month, Roku CFO Steve Louden said his company has asked Google not to manipulate search results on Roku, to not require Roku to share personal info about customers and to “not try to require us to do certain things on the device side of things that would increase our cost basis and, hence, erode our [bill of materials] cost advantage that we have from Google products like Chromecast and Android TV.”
Google has responded by adding YouTube TV access to its existing YouTube app on Roku. The company also said that existing YouTube TV members still have access to the app on Roku devices, but that it’s in discussions with other partners to secure free streaming devices in case YouTube TV members face any access issues on Roku.
YouTube TV first announced its 4K option in February. The company didn’t specify a launch date or a price for the add-on 4K package but it say that users will be able to download 4K content to their DVR to watch later offline. The option will also add unlimited concurrent streams at home.
YouTube TV’s standard $65 per month plan currently caps at three streams and six accounts per household.