YouTube‘s “multiview” feature, which has revolutionized the experience of watching sports, is expanding next week to the video giant’s live coverage of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Performances on up to four stages at once will be made available via the YouTube app, an experience the company is calling the first of its kind. Headliners at the festival this year include No Doubt, Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator and Doja Cat but the festival is always overflowing with simultaneous action occurring on various stages throughout the site. The aim of the new feature is to unify the experience, with viewers able to monitor each act and select audio from one at a time.
Starting next Friday, April 12, livestreams of six Coachella stages will be made available on YouTube. Live concerts have been an area of experimentation for streaming services. Hulu has joined YouTube in positioning itself as a destination, carrying recent editions of Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits. YouTube livestreamed last month’s Rolling Loud California and will also have the Pitchfork Festival this summer.
The offering differs from the sports multiview initiatives in that it’s available via the free YouTube app as opposed to pay services like YouTube TV or NFL Sunday Ticket.
In addition to multiview, YouTube plans exclusive merchandise, interviews, photos and behind-the-scenes content on Shorts, its growing, TikTok-like platform.
YouTube’s Coachella channel will repeat the livestream lineup from each day after the night’s final set until the livestream returns the next day. It will also provide highlights on demand.