Sling TV’s slick new user interface is now available to Roku users

By Kris Wouk June 28, 2016

sling tv 18 hour free preview for new customers dish app — Rich Shibley/Digital Trends

An important announcement for cord-cutters came earlier this month at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference: Sling TV was finally coming to the Apple TV. With the jump to a new platform also came a new user interface built for Apple’s streaming box. As it turns out, that UI wasn’t exclusive to Apple for long.

That updated UI is now making its way to Roku users, Sling TV announced in a blog post on Tuesday. Both standalone players like the Roku 4 and Roku Streaming Stick, as well as Roku-enabled TV models, are getting the new UI, which Sling TV says offers a more personalized experience.

Related Videos

1 of 4

sling tv ui update roku new 1

sling tv ui update roku new 2

sling tv discounts extras packages new ui roku 4

sling tv discounts extras packages new ui roku 3

The updated interface will be immediately noticeable upon opening the app, as the new My TV home screen is front and center. A new “My Channels” section allows viewers to quickly access the favorites, while a “Continue Watching” section below allows you to quickly get back to the last TV show or movie you were watching.

While the standard guide view hasn’t gone anywhere, there is also a new “On Now” view that presents users with a different take on what is currently airing. Organized by categories like sports, lifestyle, and action, this view should be a hit with viewers who feel like watching something but aren’t sure exactly what. This will also be joined by a “Sports” view, which Sling TV says is coming soon and will allow viewers to browse by sport, schedule, or what is currently airing.

The updated UI is rolling out starting now, so if you’re a Sling TV user with a Roku, expect to see the change soon if you’re not seeing it already. The blog post also mentions that this new view will be rolling out to other supported devices throughout the year, so if you’re watching on a Fire TV or other device, you’ll eventually get the new interface.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Audio / Video

YouTube TV increases its monthly prices by $8 – is now the time to switch?

YouTube TV on Roku.

YouTube TV has raised the price of its monthly subscription by $8, from $65 to $73. The move comes on the heels of its announcement that it will be adding a multiview feature for sports channels. The change in price will hit current subscribers on April 18, however, the streaming service, which is owned by Google, has already started charging new customers the higher price.

It's been a while since YouTube TV last raised its prices. That was in 2020, when the streaming service increased subscriptions from $50 to $65. When the service first launched in 2017, it only cost $35 per month.

Audio / Video

What is Dolby Atmos Music, and how can you listen to it at home and on the go?

best tech under $100

Whether we get our music through streaming services, satellite radio, CDs, or vinyl, most of it has been recorded using the time-honored technique of two-channel stereo. But over the past few years, there's been a growing movement in the recording industry toward so-called spatial audio formats. The most popular of these formats is Dolby Atmos Music, and it can make good ol' stereo sound like mono AM radio.

But what exactly is Dolby Atmos Music? How is it different than stereo? And what kind of gear do you need to listen to it at home and on the go? We've got everything you need to know to get on the Dolby Atmos Music train.
What is Dolby Atmos Music?

Audio / Video

YouTube TV rolls out multiview: watch up to 4 NCAA games at once

An example of YouTube TV's multiview feature.

If you love college basketball and can process more than one game at a time, you're going to go bananas for YouTube TV's new multiview feature, which will be rolling out on a limited, early access basis starting March 14. With multiview, you'll be able to pick up to four channels and see them all simultaneously, with the ability to easily flip the active audio from one to another. The new feature is compatible with any TV-based YouTube TV installations (streaming media players, smart TVs, and game consoles), but it doesn't yet work on mobile devices or computers.

Initially, multiview will only be available to select YouTube TV users, who will be chosen at random. But Google says the goal is to include every subscriber by the time NFL football season starts in the fall. Another limitation, at least for now, is that YouTube TV will preselect the multiview channels you can choose. At launch, only channels that carry NCAA tournament games will be included in that preselected list.
How to use YouTube TV multiview
If you're one of the lucky, randomly chosen users, you'll see an option to watch up to four preselected, different streams at once in your “Top Picks for You” section. After selecting multiview, you can switch audio and captions between streams, and jump in and out of a full-screen view of a game.
It's all about sports
At the moment, YouTube TV sees multiview as an enhancement of the sports viewing experience, so only sports content will be eligible. YouTube TV has had some big sports wins in 2022, including 4K coverage of the Soccer World Cup, and that trend will continue in 2023 thanks to its acquisition of the NFL Sunday Ticket games. However, YouTube TV recently lost access to MLB Network and the MLB.tv add-on, which reduces the amount of sports content available for multiview in 2023.