Watching Amazon Prime Video TV shows and movies remotely with your friends just got a lot easier and more convenient. The service’s “Watch Party” feature has received much-needed expansion from the limited use cases where it previously worked — on Fire TV devices, desktop web browsers and the Prime Video mobile app — and is now available on non-Amazon streaming devices, smart phones, and other devices. Supports TV, and Xbox / PlayStation gaming consoles. techcrunch First detail reported.
Watch Party allows up to 100 people with a Prime subscription to watch content at the same time. The host can play, pause, skip, and fast forward or rewind for the group, and everyone can chat about what they’re watching.
For now, Amazon’s Watch Party feature is only available in the US. “If you are using a VPN an error message is displayed,” Amazon notes in its FAQ. Everyone shares access to content that is free to stream with a Prime subscription. But if you want to see a movie that can only be rented, then everyone should do it personally. Watch Party is not compatible with live events (eg Thursday Night Football), Amazon Prime Video Channels, or Freevee (formerly known as IMDBtv).
While many of these group viewing experiences surfaced amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Amazon began testing Watch Party through its Twitch service in 2019. Hulu offers a similar feature by the same name, Disney Plus offers Groupwatch, and streaming TV apps such as Sling TV have joined in as well.