Hulu’s Watch Party Allows Subscribers to Watch Films and TV Together

Hulu's new feature will allow subscribers to watch the streaming service's titles together and discuss them in a group chat.

Social distancing rules aren’t going to stop Hulu subscribers from being able to enjoy films and television shows together. The streaming service has launched Watch Party, a social feature that will allow up to eight eligible subscribers to watch Hulu titles together.

Watch Party features synchronized video playback and a group chat for participants, ensuring that subscribers can connect over their favorite films and television shows despite social distancing guidelines. Subscribers can determine if a Hulu title is eligible for Watch Party by visiting the title’s details page on Hulu.com and looking for the specific Watch Party icon.

All users must have a subscription to an ad-free version of Hulu, which starts at $11.99 per month. Accounts and profiles for users under 18-years-old will be unable to participate. The service is only compatible with subscribers who use Hulu.com.

Hulu’s new Watch Party is similar to Netflix Party, an unofficial web browser extension that allows Netflix subscribers to watch the service’s numerous releases with others. There is no shortage of similar screen sharing services and browser extensions on the web, but Hulu’s Watch Party is one of the rare examples of an official tool to virtually watch films and television shows together.

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The Disney-owned platform continues to be one of the industry’s most prolific streaming services. Hulu has released several high-profile series this year, including the Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington-led “Little Fires Everywhere,” the Catherine the Great-focused historical comedy “The Great,” and animated-comedy “Solar Opposites,” which centers on a family of aliens who begin living in middle America. Hulu is also gearing up to release “Love, Victor” on June 19, which was originally slated to premiere on Disney+.

Hulu also recently partnered with FX, which is also owned by Disney, to launch the FX on Hulu initiative, which brings FX shows both old and new to the streaming service. The initiative hit the ground running with Alex Garland’s widely acclaimed “Devs” and the recently concluded “Mrs. America,” which centered on the movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, received similarly strong praise.

More information about Hulu’s Watch Party feature is available on the streaming service’s website.