YouTube TV’s Multiview has now received criticism and an ad warning from an advertising watchdog organization over claims that the feature is not as widely available as the company’s marketing materials might suggest.
Multiview is a hugely in-demand streaming feature, with Apple, Fubo, and YouTube all now offering their own version. In YouTube TV’s case, this means watching up to four feeds at the same time on the one screen.
While YouTube TV had already made Multiview available to all members, it was only made available in early access. Basically, how and when it can be used is currently limited. So far, YouTube TV has yet to explain when the feature will be ready for prime time, other than stating that it is due to arrive in time for football season.
The limited availability of YouTube TV’s Multiview has now caught the attention of Truth in Advertising, or TINA.org, who has taken issue with the way the feature is being advertised. So much so that the advertising watchdog has issued an ad alert to make sure consumers understand what they are (and more importantly, are not) getting when signing up.
Specifically, TINA has taken issue with the YouTube TV commercial you can watch below. During the 30-second advert, YouTube TV shows Multiview in use, which might lead some to assume that the feature is already live and available.
This is exactly what Truth in Advertising suggests is now happening. According to TINA, the limited availability of the feature “has not stopped YouTube from running national TV ads implying that multiview is currently available to all YouTube TV subscribers.”
The alert explains that the commercial was brought to the organization’s attention by a reader who had seen the ad during the NBA Finals on Sunday. The reader reportedly took issue with the commercial as they were already a YouTube TV subscriber and don’t have access to the feature.
A member of the TINA team, another YouTube TV subscriber, also found that they couldn’t access the feature either, and after following YouTube’s own ‘Get live shows & sports on one screen with multiview’ help article.
When asked about the availability of the feature and the implied access in the commercial, a YouTube TV spokesperson was quoted as confirming that Multiview will officially launch “in the fall ahead of football season” and that the advert includes a “device and content restrictions apply” disclaimer when Multiview is shown.
