What Is Multiview On TV? Which TV Providers Offer It?

TV Answer Man, I have read your articles saying a sporting event will be available in Multiview. Can you explain what that is for us lay people? – Ellie, New Haven, Connecticut.

Ellie, Multiview is a feature offered by some TV providers that will divide your TV screen into multiple boxes so you can watch more than one channel at the same time. Although it could be used for entertainment programs, it’s most widely utilized for live sporting events. Some TV providers allow you to choose which shows/events will be displayed in the multiple boxes while others will choose them for you. It’s a welcome advancement for sports fans, particularly gamblers who like to follow their bets in multiple games at the same time.

Launched in March 2023, YouTube TV’s Multiview allows you to watch up to four games at the same time on one screen. The streamer will usually pre-select Multiview options on the home menu but it allows NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers to choose their games, a perk that was long called for by fans.

Fubo offers Multiview on Apple TV and select Roku devices. The multi-channel live streaming service allows you to pick from any live channels for Multiview. You highlight the live channel or event you want to watch from the menu screen; press and hold the touchpad to open the options menu; and select Watch in Multiview.

Comcast’s Xfinity TV cable service added Multiview to X1 set-tops in time for this year’s March Madness college basketball tournament. (The set-tops are the Xi6, XG1v4, XiOne, XiD, and Xi5.) The cable op says it will be made available for more sporting events this year but has not provided specifics. When it is available, you activate Multiview by going to the home screen, clicking on For You and then Featured Apps. From there, you click on the X1 Sports Zone app and search for sport-specific hubs such as MLB or NFL. Finally, you use the remote’s voice search by saying ‘Multiview.’

The Comcast-owned streaming service offered a Multiview feature for the 2024 Olympics and introduced it for English Premier League soccer’s 2024/25 season. See this article for more details. It appears that Peacock intends to use Multiview for special events rather than as a regular feature.

The sports network’s app offers multiple views, called Multicast, on the Apple TV streaming device and the XBox. See this article for more details.

Ellie, hope that answers your question. Happy viewing and stay safe.