Fox Sports' Apple TV app to show 4 games at once

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — In a first for the Apple TV set-top box, Fox Sports Go debuted a new version of its app that lets sports fans watch four games at once.

The move is similar to what Dish Network and DirecTV have offered TV subscribers to their services. Fox Sports networks are carried by satellite, as well as traditional cable operators, so for Apple TV users who don’t subscribe to Dish or DirecTV, this is a way for them to watch four games at once via a streaming box.

Clark Pierce, a senior vice-president of Fox Sports, said multiple game viewing has been a big request from viewers for some time.

“We want to fish where the fish are,” says Pierce, of streaming on TV. “This is where a lot of people are consuming content.”

Viewers are offered a “mosaic” view, where they can pick up to four selections that exist side by side.

After seeing a prototype of the app in May, Apple showcased it in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco to tout state of the art experiences for Apple TV. The set-top box competes with others from Google, Roku and Amazon.

Pierce likens the experience to visiting a Las Vegas casino sports book, where multiple TV monitors line the walls with different games.

The idea is that fanscould watch various baseball teams in different cities all at the same time, (with only one image attached to audio) or, view, say, baseball, hockey, soccer and football at the same time, on one screen.

The app is free, and while it has some sports programming available, the most-wanted sports, like soccer, baseball and football, need a cable subscription. These need to be authenticated for viewing.

Fox gave Apple an exclusive on the app. Pierce says he hopes to bring it to other platforms, like Roku, eventually.

The Fox Sports channels are primarily on basic cable’s non-premium tiers, and compete with ESPN with live events and sports scores.

Fox, which is primarily known for broadcasting and cable TV channels, says expanding to streaming doesn’t cannibalize the audience, but expands it.

“We’re still running the same ads viewers see on cable and local,” Pierce says.

Watching the traffic, Pierce says he sees big spikes for games when people are at work, watching on their computer, then it tails off and picks up later. “It’s clear they’re switching to a bigger screen at home.”

Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham on Twitter, @jeffersongraham.