A YouTube TV logo. A YouTube TV logo.

YouTube TV tested a multiview feature during March Madness. It was only available for the men’s and women’s tournament, and while it was rather rigid in what you could or couldn’t watch, but you at least had the ability to watch multiple screens at the same time.

While the multiview feature will be a part of Sunday Ticket, YouTube is also expanding their multiview feature to include non-sports genres.

On Wednesday, YouTube announced they will gradually roll out multiview streams consisting of sports and Spanish language sports, but also news, business news, and weather. Not everyone has this ability yet, but if you do, you can find them in the “Home” tab.

It should be noted that multiview is only available on TV and streaming devices capable of downloading the YouTube TV app. In addition, you don’t get to pick and choose what four channels you can watch. It’s not like you can have three sports feeds along with a news feed.

Maybe it’s a necessity for right now and YouTube may eventually give subscribers an open choice, but I’m failing to understand how this is an appeal for anybody. I get it for sports, but unless you’re in media and you’re curious to know what CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC is covering at the same time, not too many people will be interested in anything other than their cable news network of choice.

Then again, the alternative is not having a multiview feature at all. So if this is a niche feature in anything that’s not sports-related, it’ll be a net positive. Hopefully, YouTube someday has the option of giving people the choice in watching whatever they want in multiview.

[Yahoo]

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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