It simply obtained method simpler and extra handy to remotely watch Amazon Prime Video’s TV reveals and flicks along with your mates. The service’s “Watch Social gathering” characteristic has obtained a a lot wanted enlargement from the restricted use instances the place it labored earlier than — on Hearth TV gadgets, desktop net browsers, and the Prime Video cellular app — and it now helps non-Amazon streaming gadgets, good TVs, and Xbox / PlayStation gaming consoles. DailyTech first reported on the enlargement.
Watch Social gathering permits for as much as 100 folks with a Prime subscription to view content material on the similar time. The host is ready to play, pause, skip, and quick ahead or rewind for the group, and everybody can chat about what they’re watching.
For now, Amazon’s Watch Social gathering characteristic stays accessible solely within the US. “An error message is displayed in case you are utilizing a VPN,” Amazon notes in its FAQ. Everybody shares entry to content material that’s free to stream with a Prime subscription. However if you wish to watch a film that may solely be rented, everybody should accomplish that individually. Watch Social gathering isn’t suitable with stay occasions (like Thursday Night time Soccer), Amazon Prime Video Channels, or Freevee (previously often known as IMDBtv).
Whereas many of those group viewing experiences popped up amid COVID-19 lockdowns, Amazon started testing Watch Social gathering in 2019 by way of its Twitch service. Hulu provides the same characteristic by the identical title, Disney Plus provides GroupWatch, and streaming TV apps like Sling TV have additionally joined in.