Amazon Prime Video has introduced a new Watch Party feature on its OTT service that allows viewers to watch their favourite film or TV show with their friends. Moreover, there is a chat functionality built-in so that you and your friends can communicate while watching Prime Video. A watch party or viewing party essentially lets you watch a show or a film with others in a virtual environment.
With theatres being shut for months due to the Coronavirus pandemic, people have not been able to watch films on the big screen with friends. The Watch Party feature aims to ease that discomfort as you can host a virtual viewing party with upto 100 friends at a time. Though the feature does come with its caveats, it is interesting to see a group viewing option being added to the streaming service.
Earlier this year, Disney+ Hotstar introduced a similar Watch with your friends during the IPL season and Facebook has Watch Party feature for over two years now.
There are many third-party services available that allow users to create virtual viewing parties but it isn’t the best possible experience available. It doesn’t come close to a native watch party experience with seamless controls and syncing abilities.
“There’s a fun new way to enjoy your favourite shows with your favourite people, wherever you are. With Watch Parties, you can chat with up to 100 friends while you watch movies and TV shows online together. It’s almost like watching side-by-side in real life- without having to share your popcorn,” says Amazon.
However, the Watch Party feature on Prime Video is available only supported by desktop browsers for now. Apart from that, mobile phones, tablets or Fire TV devices cannot access Watch Party feature yet as it is in Beta. Additionally, Amazon will only let you join a Watch Party if the host's region and participants region is the same.
To start a watch party on Prime Video you can start by finding the perfect film or TV show to watch with your friends. Amazon is offering its entire catalogue including Amazon Originals with the new feature providing a synchronized playback between 100 participants. Do note that all participants must have an active Prime Video subscription to join a viewing party.
After selecting a TV show or a movie, click on the Watch Party button on the screen. You will be asked to enter a name for the chat after which you can create a watch party and share the link with your friends.
Here is a list of the best superhero films available on Prime Video that you can watch with your friends by creating a watch party.