NFL Sunday Ticket: Will YouTube TV’s Multiview Show Local Games?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I have a question for you. When you watch the NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV, and they have the Multiview screen, will it include the local broadcasts that are blacked out on the Sunday Ticket or just the out of market games that are part of the Sunday Ticket? Please let me know! — Carey, Milwaukee.
Carey, YouTube TV is promising to allow Sunday Ticket subscribers to use its new Multiview feature to watch multiple games at the same time on one screen. The streamer has expressed hope that customization will be available by then, which would permit the viewer to decide which four games to display on the one screen. But as of now, it is not customizable. In April, YouTube TV allowed subs to give Multiview a spin during the broadcast of the NFL Draft. ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network, all of which were airing draft coverage, were displayed on one screen at the same time.

When Multiview is available for the Ticket, the question is: Which games will be displayed? If it’s not customizable by then, will YouTube TV include local games that are airing on local channels, but are blacked out on the Sunday Ticket? Yesterday, we asked YouTube TV’s support team and it assured us that local games will be included on Multiview on both YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels. However, you will not be able to tune to the local channels on Primetime Channels because that service does not carry them. On YouTube TV, when watching a local channel’s NFL broadcast on Multiview, you will be able to switch to your local channel that is airing the game.

Update: YouTube said on August 16 that the local games will only be available on YouTube TV, although the customer support team previously said both services would have them.

Carey, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman