YouTube TV finally delivers the improvement subscribers wanted

Google’s YouTube TV has made headlines over the last months. While most of the news focused on its two-week dispute with the Walt Disney Company, there were also several positive announcements for subscribers. 

During the dispute, when millions of subscribers lost access to popular Disney channels, including ABC, ESPN, the Disney Channel, FX, and National Geographic, the streaming giant gave subscribers a $20 credit because Disney content was unavailable “for an extended period of time.” 

About the same time, it also made a “secret” $10 discount offer, reducing the standard monthly price of $82.99 to $72.99 for six months. 

YouTube TV continued to deliver exciting news for its subscribers, and on Nov. 17, it became the first to relaunch a brand-new 24-hour linear channel, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN). 

Quickly after the re-launch of a major sports channel that features a wide range of popular sporting events and programming, surprising news broke about YouTube TV rolling out new, cheaper TV packages and ESPN Unlimited. 

Starting early in 2026, YouTube TV will launch a dedicated sports-only package “priced aggressively to undercut traditional cable sports tiers.” The streamlined offering will prioritize major leagues and events, Cord Cutters News reported.

In the most recent development, YouTube TV continues to surprise subscribers by making a change they wanted. 

YouTube TV finally improves its Multiview feature per subscriber request 

YouTube TV has just improved its Multiview feature responding to requests from users.

The Multiview feature is the mode that enables users to watch several channels at once. Up until now, the feature contained one annoying characteristic — a noticeable sound icon or a bright border around the active audio channel.

The problem was that the icon and border remained visible for the entire viewing session, which, for many subscribers, was very distracting, according to Cord Cutters News. 

While the highlight still appears when a user first starts the Multiview feature or switches audio to a different feed, it quickly fades away. Logically, it reappears only when a subscriber changes focus again. 

While this may seem like a small improvement, it is important for users relying on the Multiview feature, since it reduces on-screen clutter and makes the streaming experience far cleaner. 

The improvements rolled out quietly to nearly all devices, including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV, Samsung, Android TV, LG, Vizio Smart Television, and the YouTube TV app on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Since this is a server-side update, there was no need for app updates. 

Subscribers love cleaner Multiview, but point out other annoyances

The improvement rolled out quietly without official announcement, but YouTube TV users were quick to notice and share the news on Reddit.

User TurtlemanScared, who started the discussion, shared being “really impressed” with the upgrade, also suggesting that “the bitrate quality is noticeably better for each screen.”

However, the majority of users didn’t comment on the news, instead focusing on other annoyances and limitations, especially around volume differences when switching between channels. 

User Leupster highlighted, “My only complaint is that the multiview screen is twice as loud as any individual game. Going into and out of games means adjusting the volume significantly.”

Related: YouTube TV drops generous offer for its subscribers

Some users suggested the issue might be technical rather than just a bug. User tyrannomachy wrote, “The problem is that it switches between 5.1 for single view and stereo for quad view, and the stereo feed is much louder. Presumably because folding 5 channels to two involves spreading the center channel across all the front speakers, but IDK for sure. If you don't have surround sound, you won't notice, obviously.” 

Subscribers who often watch multiple college football games, NBA matchups, or March Madness broadcasts “have called the fade-away highlight one of the simplest yet most impactful quality-of-life improvements YouTube TV has made to Multiview” since its launch, reported Cord Cutters News.  

Competition among streaming giants is fierce, every upgrade counts 

The upgrade comes at a time when competition among streaming providers is growing, as more people turn to streaming platforms instead of cable.

In fact, 83% of U.S. adults use streaming services, and far fewer subscribe to cable or satellite TV, according to a Pew Research Center survey from July 2025.

More precisely, 28% of Americans subscribe to cable or satellite TV and watch streaming services. Another 55% watch streaming but do not also have a cable or satellite subscription.

Competition is fierce among streaming giants such as Netflix, Disney +, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Sling TV, HBO Max, and others, and the companies constantly improve their offerings to retain existing subscribers and attract new ones. 

According to Dec. 2024 data from Flix Patrol, Netflix had the most subscribers with more than 300 million, followed by Amazon Prime, with an estimated 200 million, and Disney +, with 131 million. 

Flix Patrol didn’t provide data for YouTube TV; however, Streaming Better ranked YouTube TV compared to DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and more, suggesting that with around 8 million subscribers, YouTube TV ranks first. 

YouTube TV’s Multiview feature is often considered one of its biggest advantages over other streaming giants. While some other providers also offer their own multi-screen viewing, their service seems to lag behind YouTube TV, thanks to the custom "Build a Multiview" option that allows users to choose almost any available channel.

 “The 'Build a Multiview' is great. One thing that I think that can make it better are making even more channels available to add to our build. The selections are great. But they can get even better and include even more options. This Build a Multiview option is by far the best available. Disney could definitely learn some things to make the ESPN extremely limited multiviews so much better,” wrote user WKRPinPhiladelphia. 

What’s more, the Multiview feature is commonly used by sports fans who like to track several sporting events at the same time. In fact, a huge number of subscribers favor live sport offering, or more precisely, “forty-three percent of Gen Z and millennials surveyed indicate a willingness to pay more for streaming video subscriptions that include access to live sports,” according to the Deloitte Center for Technology, Media & Telecommunications 2025 Digital Media Trends survey. 

As competition grows and many subscribers value sports offerings and the Multiview feature, improving it is an important move by YouTube TV.

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