YouTube TV now lets subscribers build their own multiview layouts using any live channel on the service.
Previously, multiview on YouTube TV was a curated experience: Google chose the sports matchups that appeared side by side, and subscribers had no say in the arrangement. The updated feature hands that control to viewers, who can now pick which live channels appear in a split-screen layout and how they're organized. The one firm restriction is that only live content qualifies. On-demand video isn't supported yet.
For a live TV streaming service competing with Hulu Live TV and DirecTV Stream, this is a meaningful differentiator. Neither rival offers comparable flexibility across all channels. Multiview has long been the feature that broadcast sports fans cite as a reason to keep a cable or satellite subscription — bringing that same capability to streaming, on viewer-defined terms, closes one of the last real gaps in the "cable without cable" pitch.
The live-only carve-out is worth watching. Mixing a live game with an on-demand show still isn't possible, and Google hasn't said when that might change.