Sling TV launches new features for sports fans, including picture-in-picture mode and an iOS widget
Yesterday, Sling TV announced the launch of three features that many March Madness fans will likely enjoy, including a new “Side View” feature that allows web users to watch the sports on a small overlay screen over whatever they’re doing, whether it’s live-tweeting the action or maybe working on a project for their job.
The live TV service also launched a new custom widget for iOS devices and updated its live “Sports Scores” feature by adding a dedicated row on the home screen.
To enable the new Side View feature on the desktop browser, Sling users can click the button in the upper right corner that says “Scroll your computer while watching video.” This creates a picture-in-picture window that allows users to open other windows, tabs, and apps while watching the live stream at the same time. The small screen overlay can be moved anywhere on the page. Sling TV’s “Sports Scores” feature allows users to browse all sports scores while watching TV. It launched in the summer of 2022 and allows users to access scores from NFL and college football games to the NBA, NHL and MLB. Now viewers can watch March Madness games on select devices. This feature is rolling out to Roku, Amazon, and Android TV this week.
As part of the update, the company has also added a dedicated home screen row for live match results, allowing fans to track scores, watch live matches and access match schedules all in one place. Additionally, if a Sling TV subscriber is recording a game to watch later, that game’s score will be hidden, the company said in its announcement.
Sling TV also launched the Sling widget for iOS users, so they can now access their favorite channels, game scores, and DVR recordings without leaving the home screen. The widget has different style options, including “2 Rows” or “4 Rows” to allow users to view a guide that displays channels. It’s important to note that fans looking to watch the men’s tournament can only access TBS, TNT and truTV with a Sling Blue plan. That means viewers have to subscribe to another live TV streaming service if they want to watch the Final Four and the championship games, since those will be on CBS. Sling TV does not offer CBS.
The women’s tournament is also on ESPN, which is only available with a Sling Orange plan.
Sling Blue is $45 per month and Orange is $40 per month. Subscribers can also get a bundle for $60 per month.
Sources: Techcrunch