Sky Q's Split Screen puts two matches on one TV
Watch two live games, side by side.
If you love sport, picking a match to watch on TV can be a nightmare. Murray's semi-final against Wawrinka? Or Nadal's clash with Djokovic? When both are happening simultaneously, you have to pick one or the other (or find a second screen and keep it nearby). Sky is trying to fix this problem with "Split Screen," a new feature for Sky Q which lets you watch two games side-by-side. It should work for "any multi-match or multi-camera event" broadcast by Sky through its Red button service.
The World Cup qualifiers (October 6-11), the F1 Japan Grand Prix (October 7-9) and the ATP Shanghai tournament (October 11-14) will be the first events to support the new feature. Later, Sky's cricket and La Liga coverage will include a similar option. You simply press the red button, open the Sky Sports app and select "Match Choice" before choosing a second stream. Be warned though -- both fixtures have to be from the same sport. So you can't watch the tennis and a World Cup qualifier at the same time.
Alternatively, you can select "Highlights" to watch some standout moments while "the main event" is still happening. In the case of Formula 1, this could be a brilliant overtake or a dreadful pit stop. The same option will be available for the Premier League, giving you an easy way to re-watch a particularly bone-crunching tackle or physics-defying goal.
Split Screen is a welcome feature, but one that sounds a little half-baked. The dream, of course, would be true split-screen channel viewing. If you could have Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 on opposing sides -- regardless of what sport or match they're showing -- that would be something special.
