YouTube TV to cancel all App Store subscriptions in March

San Francisco, Feb 14 (IANS) YouTube has started sending out emails to customers who have subscribed its YouTube TV service through Apple’s App Store with a warning that their subscriptions will be discontinued in March.

“You are currently subscribed to YouTube TV through Apple in-app purchases, so we are writing to let you know that, starting March 13, 2020, YouTube TV will no longer accept payment through Apple in-app purchases,” the company said in a mail that many YouTube TV subscribers received in the last couple of days.

“You’ll be billed for one final month of service and then your in-app purchase subscription will be cancelled automatically on your billing date after March 13, 2020,” the company added.

The email does not explain why Google is removing one of the ways people can pay for YouTube TV, but the likely reason is that Google may be following the path of other services like Netflix and Spotify that bypass the App Store to avoid commissions.

Currently, Apple takes a 30 per cent cut of in-app subscriptions for the first year and a 15 per cent cut in the following years.