YouTube under fire for forcing NFL and MLB fans to watch WNBA

As a die-hard sports fan who values my Sunday evenings for NFL and MLB action, I was left feeling rather bewildered by YouTube TV’s recent decision to force-feed me WNBA games during my multiview experience on October 20th. While I appreciate the convenience of watching multiple games at once, it seems that YouTube’s idea of flexibility in this case is more akin to a one-size-fits-all straitjacket for sports enthusiasts like myself.


Fans eager for Sunday Night Football and the MLB World Series on YouTube’s multi-view stream found themselves disappointed due to being compelled to also watch the WNBA games.

On October 20th, sports enthusiasts using YouTubeTV’s multi-view split-screen feature found themselves puzzled due to limited choices available for simultaneous game viewing.

Fans of both the NFL (National Football League) and MLB (Major League Baseball) had hoped for a unique viewing experience, with the Steelers vs Jets game and the World Series matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers playing simultaneously on split screens. However, this exciting option was never made available to them.

In this scenario, YouTube allows users to view MLB and NFL games simultaneously, but only if they include the WNBA as well in their viewing experience. Furthermore, users were given another multi-view choice: they could watch both the World Series and the WNBA Finals concurrently.

Users on various social platforms expressed strong disagreement with this decision and were left puzzled about why YouTube decided to limit the types of content they could post.

Can’t split screen Sunday Night Football & The NLCS without being force fed the WNBA. No option to not have it there. When they claim to have a ratings boost, this is why.

— West Village Guy (@VillageWest14) October 21, 2024

The user expressed frustration in a popular tweet: ‘I can’t enjoy Sunday Night Football and the NLCS simultaneously without the WNBA being shown as well. I can’t avoid it. They claim increased ratings because of this situation,'” (paraphrased)

YouTube TV doesn’t allow simultaneous viewing of Sunday Night Football and Baseball without the WNBA finals. A user shared an image showing that they have covered the WNBA portion of their multi-stream on their television with a blanket, suggesting innovative solutions for contemporary issues.

I’m having trouble enjoying Sunday Night Football and baseball simultaneously on YouTube TV, as it insists on showing the WNBA finals concurrently. It seems like we’re living in an era where traditional viewing habits collide with contemporary technology. A solution that allows for multi-streaming or customizable channels could be just what I need!

— Westley McCringleberry III (@WestleyMcIII) October 21, 2024

Someone mentioned that YouTube TV is making the WNBA mandatory viewing in their multi-view option, and many viewers are expressing their anger about it!” Along with a screenshot of more annoyed users.

LMAO….YouTube TV is forcing WNBA to be one of your views in multiview…and people are IRATE 😂😂

— Premier Kicks and Collectibles (@premierkicks_2) October 21, 2024

As a gamer, “Dang it, YouTube TV is making me tune in for the WNBA tonight if I want to split-screen Pennant and SNF! I could use a good bleach bath for my eyes right about now! It seems like they’ve rigged things so that I can’t customize my multi-view and only watch what I prefer, instead, I’m forced to include the WNBA in my lineup.

Regarding the criticism, YouTube clarified that they’re currently limited to broadcasting curated multi-view streams, but are actively striving to enhance adaptability and add more features for user convenience in the upcoming days.

On multiple occasions in October, YouTube has faced criticism, and this isn’t an unprecedented situation. Previously, the platform announced they were experimenting with a revised “Premium Lite” version, which continued to display advertisements despite increasing the price of the regular Premium service.

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2024-10-22 00:18