Google’s ambitions for YouTube have gone far beyond cat videos, memes, and even the terrific creators that have built empires on the video-sharing site.YouTube TV,for example, is giving Sling and the likes of cable and satellite operators a run for their money. But the real cash streams in this industry are in live sports, and Google seems to realize that it’s not just about the games themselves. It is slowly rolling out a multiview feature for fans of several sports leagues in the United States. Here’s what you need to know about it.
What is YouTube Multiview?
In June, YouTube introduced five non-sports multiview feeds into users' recommendations (viaThe Verge). Each feed’s channels were still pre-selected, but they spanned across the categories of news, weather, finance, and sports in English and Spanish.
August saw a full-scale rollout as YouTube TV announced more sports-focused multiview opportunities with NFL Sunday Ticket, the WNBA, and FIFA Women’s World Cup. And it’s not just on YouTube TV - for those who want the premium content packages without all the trappings of legacy basic cable TV channels, they’ll also be able to use multiview on what YouTube calls its Primetime Channels - our sister siteAndroid Policereports these were brought about in November 2022.
How to purchase access to Multiview feeds
YouTube TV
Access to premium sports multiview streams will require an appropriate auxiliary subscription. We’ll explain more about that in the following section.
YouTube via Primetime Channels
You’ll need to have purchased a subscription to the appropriate Primetime Channel to access the multiview feeds you want - the five general-purpose multiview feeds are unavailable through YouTube.
For the 2023 late-year sports seasons, here’s what you’ll need to do:
How to navigate to and through a Multiview feed
You’ll need to open up either the YouTube or YouTube TV app for whatever smart TV device you’re using - whether it’s Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, or your TV’s built-in operating system. Multiview feeds will appear in your home suggestion feed as games come online. As mentioned above, the five always-on multiview feeds will be in the Top Picks for You carousel on YouTube TV.
Use your remote’s directional pad to select which view in a multiview feed plays audio. Press your remote’s Select button to move a view into fullscreen. Press Back to return to the multiview feed. You can turn captions on or off by navigating downwards until you’ve highlighted the option for captions and then hitting the Select button.
