This post was originally published in August 2024 and has been updated for 2026.
For streaming platforms, the need to offer more dynamic, interactive, and immersive viewing experiences to set themselves apart from the competition never lets up. Sports fans crave control over how they watch their favorite games and content, and look for better options to match their viewing habits. Multiview has become one of the clearest ways platforms are meeting that demand, giving viewers a way to keep their eyes on every play or every camera angle. This Player feature gives viewers a way to get all of the live and on-demand content they want at their fingertips, especially in sports.
What is Multiview?
At its core, Multiview lets users view multiple video streams simultaneously on a single screen, giving them more control over how they watch. At its core, Multiview lets users view multiple video streams simultaneously on a single screen, giving them more control over how they watch. This feature can be deployed in a few ways, depending on what a platform and its viewers need most.
- Multiple events at once. Users can follow more than one live event on the same screen.
- No missed moments. Switching between games happens without leaving either one.
- Multiple camera angles. Viewers can follow different perspectives of the same event.
- Real-time angle switching. Changing the view happens instantly during live play.
- Ads alongside the event. Ads can run next to the main feed instead of replacing it.
- Uninterrupted coverage. The main action stays visible the whole time.
These use cases enhance the viewing experience and empower users and platforms to curate how they engage with content. Whether sports enthusiasts want to follow multiple games or viewers look to experience events from various perspectives, Multiview brings a new level of interactivity..
The Benefits of Multiview
The Multiview feature unlocks a lot of possibilities for both viewers and streaming platforms, from deeper engagement to new ways to generate revenue. Here’s where it makes the biggest difference.
- Enhanced engagement. Watching multiple streams keeps viewers more involved in the moment.
- Less churn. More engaged viewers are less likely to cancel their subscription.
- Premium tier potential. Multiview can be a compelling addition to higher-tier subscription plans.
- More ad placements. More screens on one layout means more opportunities for ad placement.
- Flexible ad formats. Through the Bitmovin Advertising Module (BAM), platforms can run formats like L-bar and picture-in-picture.
Example of how Multiview ad playback would look with a video and a video on one screen.
- A social viewing experience. Groups of friends can stream different parts of a game or event together on one screen, each with their preferred angle or game.
The Challenge of Multiview on Different Platforms
Delivering Multiview functionality has its challenges. Higher-powered devices can run a small number of video players simultaneously without much trouble. Reliably streaming more than two to four streams at once on devices such as most TVs, which typically have only one video decoder, is a bigger hurdle. These devices can generally only display one active video stream at a time, which makes running multiple separate players unfeasible.
Bitmovin addresses this with a tiled stream, encoding multiple video feeds into one, which brings several streams into a single Player instance and works even on devices limited to a single decoder.
How Bitmovin is enabling customers through the Multiview Player feature
Multiview is a Player feature we’ve seen a growing interest in from the streaming platforms we support, and you can see it in action with the live demo on the Multiview product page. Here’s how it works, from encoding through playback.
- Tiled stream creation. Bitmovin’s Live Encoder combines multiple video streams into one tiled feed.
- Server-side processing. The mosaic is built server-side, not on the viewer’s device.
- Lightweight playback. This keeps Bitmovin’s Player lightweight and playback smoother across supported devices.
Example of how Multiview playback looks with 4 streams side-by-side on the Bitmovin Player.
Example of how Multiview playback looks with 4 streams – one main one and 3 by its side on the Bitmovin Player.
- DRM-protected playback. Bitmovin’s Player is integrated with every major DRM for content security.
- Tile selection. Users can select any tile of interest to bring it into focus.
- Seamless switching. The Player switches to the high-resolution version of that stream without interrupting playback.
- Flexible ad formats. Platforms can run picture-in-picture, L-bar, and side-by-side ad layouts.
- More ad spots. Multiview increases the number of potential ad placements per event.
- Contextual ad matching. Ads can be matched to the event coverage.
The Road Ahead
While Multiview’s potential is already immense, there are also possibilities to optimize it further, such as reducing the complexity of customizing tiled streams. We’re actively exploring ways to streamline this process, possibly by reusing existing streams to avoid the need for additional encoding.
Server-guided ad insertion has moved from an emerging idea to an established approach for signaling ad placement in Multiview, giving video players the information they need to show ads in the best possible locations to maximize monetization potential, beyond simple ad breaks.
The future of Multiview is bright, particularly in live sports streaming, a key market for Bitmovin. As more major platforms roll out their own Multiview capabilities, it’s clear that this feature is becoming a standard expectation among viewers.
Why Multiview Matters
For Bitmovin and our customers, Multiview is more than just a technological advancement, it’s a strategic necessity. As the streaming landscape becomes increasingly competitive, the ability to offer unique, engaging experiences like Multiview is critical to retaining viewers and attracting new ones. For sports broadcasters and streaming services particularly, Multiview offers a way to stand out in a crowded market, giving fans the immersive, customizable experiences they crave.
At Bitmovin, we’re not just responding to industry trends but shaping them. By continuing to innovate and push the boundaries of what’s possible in streaming technology, we’re helping our customers deliver the next generation of viewing experiences.
Want to check it out?
Multiview is available today as a standard offering on Bitmovin’s Player, with sample implementations across Web, iOS, and Android SDKs. Check out the Multiview product page for a closer look, or contact us to see how it can fit your streaming service.
