On Tuesday, YouTube TV announced the launch of multiview mode, allowing users to watch multiple streams at the same time.
However, only some members will have the feature rolled out right away, and at first, it’ll only be available for live games during the NCAA Tournament on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
Here’s how it will work.
During early access, some members will begin to see an option to watch up to four pre-selected, different streams at once in their “Top Picks for You” section. After selecting multiview, viewers will be able to switch audio and captions between streams, and jump in and out of a fullscreen view of a game. Multiview joins our suite of features for sports fans and we’re looking forward to continuing to improve the experience and introducing it to all YouTube TV subscribers over the next several months.
This rollout isn’t a surprise. At the end of last year, following the announcement of YouTubeTV’s acquisition of the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, YouTube chief product officer Neal Mohan said the multiscreen mosaic mode would be ready in time for the 2023 NFL season. Introducing the feature during the NCAA Tournament, when four games are consistently on at the same time during the first two rounds, is a logical decision to get the bugs worked out prior to the NFL season.
However, it’s a bit disappointing that this will be limited to the NCAA Tournament games to start. If someone has interest in another event going on at the same time, they’re out of luck for now.
It’s worth noting that the NCAA’s March Madness Live app also allows fans to watch multiple games at once, but only two at a time can be watched on connected TVs. Four at a time can only be watched on the March Madness Live website.
