YouTube TV has announced a new feature that makes it possible to watch four streams at once, just in time for the NCAA’s March Madness to get started.
The new YouTube TV feature, dubbed multiview, allows four streams to be watched at the same time. But there is one catch – you can only watch four sports streams at a time, meaning those who had hoped to watch basketball alongside their favorite show will be left disappointed. At least for now, because there’s always the possibility that will change in the future.
“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,” YouTube announced via a blog post. “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.”
YouTube also says that while viewing multiple streams at once would normally require a high-powered computer or device in order to work properly, that isn’t the case here. Multiview via YouTube TV will work across all TV devices, regardless of what they happen to be.
YouTube TV is rolling the new multiview feature out slowly but it’s expected to add more functionality and features as time rolls on including the option to watch four streams of the viewer’s choice, not just those that are predefined. What’s more, there’s also talk of YouTube bringing the same multiview technology to the standard YouTube app as well, something that could be a game-changer.
As for who can access the multiview test, TechCrunch notes that YouTube TV subscribers can expect to receive an email if they’ve been opted into the trial. If you don’t get an email, you won’t be watching four games at once this March Madness, unfortunately.