As part of a new update, Disney+ has launched a GroupWatch feature to help users enjoy the service with others. As reported by Engadget, if you live in Canada you will be able to enjoy the new co-watching feature on the platform.
Co-watching has been a hit over the last few months. Mostly due to the pandemic and the fact that it has not been possible to watch TV with friends in person. As such many companies and services have introduced co-watching features to their platforms.
For example, Verizon introduced a feature called ‘Watch Together’ which allows groups to watch the NFL more interactively. Equally, Amazon Prime also introduced a ‘Watch Party’ feature back in June.
These features have allowed groups to get together virtually and enjoy content. Disney likely hopes its system will see similar results and keep buzz around its new platform.
Disney+ introduces a new GroupWatch feature
Right now some users in Canada can try out the new co-watching feature on Disney+. When using it you can invite up to six friends to watch some of the Disney+ content. This includes films from the Marvel Universe category or things like Hamilton as well as Disney classics.
Everyone needs to have a Disney+ subscription in order to join a watch party on the platform. It can easily be accessed through an icon on show’s title page.
Disney confirmed that they have run a limited test of this new feature. It first got noticed on the Disney+ SubReddit prompting questions from many.
The plan is to roll this feature out worldwide. However, currently, it has to limit itself to just certain users in Canada. If all goes well the full feature will launch worldwide at some point this Fall. The hope is that during the Winter months this could be a perfect time to capitalize on more people being at home.
Streaming services taking over from third party options to co-watch
Third-party services such as Scener offer a similar co-watching experience and have partnered with some streaming services. However, streaming services that offer the feature themselves tend to create a more streamlined and efficient experience.
Disney+ version of co-watching is currently a lot more limited than other services. On Amazon Prime, for example, you can invite up to 100 friends to join you on a watch along. In theory, Twitch streamers can have viewers in the thousands as well.
However, these sorts of features should be much welcomed given the position much of the world finds itself in. Hopefully, the service will roll out quickly, efficiently and with no issues in the coming months.