Four-screen sports streaming could come to the Apple TV app soon

The hardware and interface for Apple TV 4K in 2022.

(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)

Apple could be working on bringing a new four-up sports streaming offering to its TV app, according to code found in the company's recent iOS 16.5 beta.

The beta has only been in the hands of developers for a day or so but we're already starting to hear about code that suggests a "Multiview" stream is being worked on.

According to the information found so far, the multiview feature would allow people to watch up to four different live streams at once, all via the Apple TV app. It would appear that the feature would work in the TV app on all devices, not just on the Apple TV 4K as well.

All the sports

The new code was spotted by developer Steve Moser who says that the multiview experience is mentioned in terms of new code that suggests people would need to "remove a game first to add a new one." There are other references that would allow people to "swipe to watch" as well as watch streams in a grid, dubbed multiview.

iOS 16.5 Beta 1 (20F5028e) changes 🧵: Sports “multi view” grid in Apple TV app with support for up to 4 streams. "Remove a game first to add a new one" pic.twitter.com/udBrWRGWFkMarch 29, 2023

Apple now has the iOS 16.5 beta in the hands of developers and it's likely to be weeks before it's made available to the public. It's possible that Apple is testing the feature for a debut in a future update rather than iOS 16.5 however, possibly even iOS 17. The next big iPhone software update is expected to be announced at WWDC23, likely in June.

The news that this feature could come to the Apple TV app and not specifically the Apple TV 4K streaming device is promising, if only because of the cost associated with it. There are plenty of Apple TV alternatives out there, many of which include the Apple TV app.

This news shows that Apple continues to focus on sports, with the MLB and MLS both represented in its streaming portfolio and the UK's Premier League soccer also said to be of interest.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.