A few DirecTV streaming subscribers with equipment provided by the company were part of a limited test of a forthcoming multiview feature involving news and sports channels, The Desk has learned.

The test involved DirecTV subscribers who use an Android TV dongle called Gemini Air, which the company sold as a primary way for streaming customers to access live channels and on-demand programming.

Over the weekend, one subscriber confirmed they were receiving five multiview channels that resembled those long available to DirecTV’s satellite customers. They included a “News Mix” channel that consists of several cable networks and streaming-only channels, and a “Sports Mix” feed that included NBC Sports Now, ESPN and a handful of other sports channels.

Reached by text message on Sunday, a DirecTV spokesperson confirmed some subscribers were receiving the multiview channels as part of a limited test run.

“We’re always testing new features and enhancements to bring customers more access to the programming they want most,” the spokesperson said.

It was not clear when DirecTV might make the multiview mix channels available to more customers, or whether the feature will be specific to its Gemini devices.

It is not the first time DirecTV’s streaming customers have been able to watch programming through a multiview feature: Last year, the company rolled out a broader test that coupled cable news channels with real-time data from the Associated Press during the November presidential election.

During a programming-related dispute with local broadcaster TEGNA, DirecTV also tested the delivery of a national NBC feed to subscribers in the Pacific Northwest. The test was part of a trial run to see if DirecTV could feasibly deliver network programming without a local broadcast partnership, a DirecTV executive confirmed in an interview. TEGNA operates the local NBC affiliates in Seattle and Portland.