

It's a series about theater kids made by theater kids. “This is a great way to have a similar kind of experience with other people you would otherwise be hanging out with in person.Season three of "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" is streaming now on Disney+. “It provides a really easy way to watch with friends and family, particularly in times when you can’t have four friends over on a Friday or Saturday night to watch something like ‘The Mandalorian,'” Jimerson said. With “GroupWatch,” Disney+ is taking the next step in hopes the feature brings in more users to its already growing base, which includes more 60 million subscribers. Hulu said earlier this month that subscribers will have access to the function on the “Pen15” series for a limited time. Hulu, Disney+’s sister streaming service, has also tested its own Watch Party in which viewers can virtually watch and chat about content with other people remotely. The popularity led to other major services like HBO Max and Hulu to consider social features. Virtual watch parties over Zoom and other co-viewing streaming products like Netflix Party - a Google Chrome extension that let users in separate places watch together - started popping up in the early days of the pandemic this spring. “And we had more and more requests for features like ‘GroupWatch’ - people were trying to hack it through Zoom.” “We saw significant increases in engagement as people dove deeper into the catalog,” he said. Viewers can’t react by chatting or writing on the screen just yet, but Jimerson said it could become a part of the feature later on.ĭisney had begun working on “GroupWatch” before the pandemic, Jimerson said, but the lockdowns taught Disney+ more about its consumers. While watching, viewers can react by using emojis or pause the title. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.
