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Alphabet (GOOGL) Boosts YouTube TV Efforts With PiP Feature

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Alphabet’s (GOOGL - Free Report) division Google has been consistently adding new features to its streaming television service, YouTube TV.

Reportedly, YouTube TV is releasing the picture-in-picture (PiP) feature for iPhone and iPad app users.

The PiP capability lets users simultaneously watch YouTube and use other iOS applications.

The underlined feature is available only for YouTube Premium subscribers.

With the recent move, GOOGL aims to provide an enhanced experience to customers. This is expected to boost the adoption rate of YouTube TV.

Efforts to Bolster YouTube TV

Apart from the latest move, the company has been introducing various initiatives to gain momentum among customers.

Recently, GOOGL announced that YouTube TV is working to introduce surround sound, 5.1 audio to Google TV, Android TV and Roku devices.

Earlier, YouTube TV launched 5.1 audio on Samsung + LG + Vizio devices with Cobalt 20 or above and Cast-based Chromecasts.

Further, YouTube TV introduced a referral program that rewards both users and their friends who join the cord-cutting service.

Additionally, the company announced that subscribed YouTube customers can now watch NBA game in 4K on YouTube TV. YouTube TV also offers 4K on seven different channels including Discovery, ESPN, NBC Sports, FX, Fox Sports, National Geographic, and Tastemade.

Competitive Scenario

These growing efforts toward YouTube TV are aiding the company in expanding its presence in the live TV streaming space. Companies like The Walt Disney (DIS - Free Report) , DISH Network and fubo TV (FUBO - Free Report) are also making strong initiatives to penetrate this booming space.

Disney’s Hulu Plus Live TV offers more than 75 top channels on its platform with live sports, news, events, movies and more. Hulu users can also access the entire Hulu streaming library. Further, the company recently announced that all Hulu Plus Live subscribers will be able to access unlimited DVR for free, as part of their subscription plan, starting from April 13.

DISH’s app-based TV service, Sling TV, lets users stream live television and on-demand content over the Internet. Sling TV comes in two packages, Sling Orange and Sling Blue, which are notably the lowest live-linear online streaming services in the industry. In addition to affordable pricing, Sling TV has two features, an upgraded DVR and a new interface, which provides an enhanced experience to customers.

Fubo TV offers a wide selection of channels including news, movies, sports and more. The live TV streaming service best caters to sports fans as they can enjoy live matches like Champions League, English Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga and others.

Nevertheless, Google’s improving YouTube TV features are expected to help it gain a competitive edge against its peers.

Currently, Google’s parent Alphabet carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.


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