YouTube critics ask US to probe video site's 'living room dominance'

Tech and competition watchdog groups have called on the US Department of Justice to probe YouTube, saying the video-streaming platform could enable Google and its parent company, Alphabet, to dominate home entertainment.

Tech and competition watchdog groups have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to probe YouTube, saying the video-streaming platform could enable Google and its parent company, Alphabet, to dominate home entertainment.

In a letter to Justice Department antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter dated Tuesday, the American Economic Liberties Project, Demand Progress and nine other groups expressed concern about YouTube's growth as a competitor to cable and streaming services and its pre-installation on smartphones and TVs sold in the U.S.

The groups called on the regulator to investigate YouTube, which is among the top streaming services in the U.S. Google already dominates the internet search market and is a leader in online advertising technology.

"YouTube has a decade-long record of using its dominance across numerous markets to crowd out competitors, lock in customers, and force the purchase of bundled services," the groups wrote.

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The growth of YouTube TV, the company's subscription streaming service, increases Google's "prospects for living room dominance," the groups said.

"Anyone looking for something to watch can see this space is very competitive," said a YouTube spokesperson, adding that the company goes head to head with both streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ and other video platforms like Meta's Instagram and TikTok.