Amazon Prime Video Introduces Watch Party Feature For Group Streaming

Amazon Prime Video can accommodate up to 100 viewers in one Watch Party group.

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 1 July 2020 17:44 IST

Amazon Prime Video Introduces Watch Party Feature For Group Streaming

Amazon Prime Video Watch Party also has a built-in chat feature

Highlights

Watch Party feature is supported for Prime Video content only
Prime Video Watch Party feature is enabled for US users for now
A new Watch Party icon should show up for supported content

Amazon has introduced a new Watch Party feature for Group streaming its subscribers on Prime Video, as per a report. This feature allows Prime Video users to watch TV shows and movies with friends and family remotely, so you can have a virtual watch party. It is currently rolling out for subscribers in the US only, but could be rolled out in more regions over time. Amazon Prime Video Watch Parties can accommodate up to 100 viewers in one group. This is similar to the Netflix Party extension on Chrome that allows viewers to have viewing movie parties and chat about it alongside.

The Amazon Prime Video Watch Party also has a built-in chat feature that allows the group to have conversations while watching the movie. This chat feature supports emojis as well. For US Prime Video subscribers, a new Watch Party icon should show up for any TV show or movie that supports the feature. Clicking on the icon will enable users to create a viewing room, and a custom URL will be generated. This URL can be shared with up to 100 people, who can easily click on the link, enter the Watch Party, and start chatting.

Only the host will be able to start, stop or pause the Watch Party session, and these triggers will sync on all participants devices as well. This is ideal for when someone needs to grab some popcorn or just head to the bathroom. For now, the Watch Party feature is only supported on the desktop, and works with only on the Prime content catalog. This means that even if you subscribe to HBO through your Amazon account, this feature won't work for HBO content.

There is no word from Amazon on the Watch Party feature rollout outside of the US. However, the company is likely to bring it to other regions and support it on more devices in the future. While Netflix Party extension has been around for a while now, it would be great if the streaming service could build it inside its platform as well.

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