With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, it can be tough (and maybe even illegal) to arrange group activities with a bunch of friends in person. But folks have been finding ways to arrange unofficial Zoom Karaoke, and Netflix Party activities. And recently some content providers have gotten in on the action, launching official tools for watching and chatting about movies or TV shows with friends and family even when you’re not in the same room.
Hulu and Plex introduced group viewing features last month. Now Amazon is introducing its own version, called Watch Party.
The new service, which is available in beta, lets up to 100 people watch videos together, while chatting in a sidebar. Amazon says “thousands” of movies and TV episodes are available for watch parties, but there are a few caveats:
- The service is only available in the US at launch.
- You need to be an Amazon Prime member to watch.
- Watch Party is only available on desktop web browsers (not including Safari).
If you meet those requirements, you can use the “Create Watch Party” button on eligible titles when browsing Amazon Prime Video to start a party, and then invite up to 100 people to join the group viewing session.