Google allegedly limited the visibility of Rumble’s livestream during the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) first presidential debate in August, The Intercept reported.
When a Google representative inquired about the RNC’s livestreaming plans for the debate, the committee told the tech giant that Rumble, a video competitor to Google-owned YouTube, held exclusive rights to it, according to emails obtained by The Intercept. Google’s attempts to obtain a livestream link from Rumble ahead of the debate to showcase it prominently were unsuccessful, and then the competitor’s link allegedly was obscured in search results during the event, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Rumble Announces Exclusive Streaming Deal For First Republican Primary Debate)
Google is YouTube’s parent company and Rumble is viewed as its competitor because it is a popular alternative video service.
— Rumble – 🏴☠️ $RUM (@rumblevideo) September 20, 2023
Rumble’s link to the debate did not make the first page of Google results, according to The Intercept. If an individual searched “GOP debate stream” on Google, they would receive links to YouTube, Fox News and articles related to the debate, according to screen recordings of searches at the time.
Rumble is engaged in an antitrust lawsuit against Google, according to a court filing.
“The first Republican presidential debate was yet another example of Google’s determination to squash competing video platforms,” Rumble general counsel Michael Ellis told The Intercept. “We look forward to proving Google’s continued anticompetitive conduct in court.”
Google denies it suppressed the platform, saying it would set up a Rumble livestream feature for the second RNC debate.
“The facts here are very mundane,” a Google spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “People could easily find information about where to watch the debate in Google Search results. And as part of our ongoing effort to build dedicated features in Search to more prominently showcase events like debates, we reached out to the RNC and Rumble, but unfortunately it didn’t come together in time to test and create the livestream feature. We’ve already worked with the RNC and Rumble to get this feature set up for the next debate, as we would do with any livestream provider.”
Rumble did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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