This week, Twitch announced that the company is now officially rolling out Watch Parties to content creators across the globe. This functionality provides streamers as well as their subscribers the ability to watch Amazon’s library of TV shows and movies together. Streamers can now host ‘public’ movies viewing with all fans. Earlier this year, the company rolled out this feature in beta in the United States, and creators across the globe have been eagerly awaiting the complete roll-out of Watch Parties.
In October 2019, the company began testing this feature which allows content creators to stream Amazon Prime Video content to their fans with Amazon Prime. And this spring, the company opened up the Watch Parties feature to its largest streaming channels in the United States, adding support for more than 70 TV shows and movies. With the wider availability of this feature, Watch Parties will let more content creators watch as well as stream Amazon Prime Video content to their fans with an Amazon Prime membership. If a streamer is streaming to an international audience, they will have to find content that everyone can watch.
Streamers can host Watch Parties featuring titles that are available with Amazon Prime or Amazon Prime Video subscription in a certain region, and viewers can also show their support with Subs and Bits. Streamers can also allow their fans to hear and see their reactions via their webcam that appears in the video player above Chat.
To use the Watch Parties feature, streamers will first have to add the Watch Party Quick Action Stream Manager. Then, streamers need to connect Watch Parties with their own Prime or Prime video account. Then, streams only have to select the TV show or movie they want to watch when it is time to stream, and broadcast it live.
The move comes at a time when co-watching experiences like this have on the rise due to the pandemic. Individuals across the globe are staying home due to the coronavirus lockdowns, and they have turned to co-viewing to stay connected with their loved ones. Currently, the Watch Parties feature is not available on smartphone devices, however, Twitch said that it is working to make the feature available on mobile devices. It is expected that the feature will be rolled out in the upcoming few months.
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In October 2019, the company began testing this feature which allows content creators to stream Amazon Prime Video content to their fans with Amazon Prime. And this spring, the company opened up the Watch Parties feature to its largest streaming channels in the United States, adding support for more than 70 TV shows and movies. With the wider availability of this feature, Watch Parties will let more content creators watch as well as stream Amazon Prime Video content to their fans with an Amazon Prime membership. If a streamer is streaming to an international audience, they will have to find content that everyone can watch.
Streamers can host Watch Parties featuring titles that are available with Amazon Prime or Amazon Prime Video subscription in a certain region, and viewers can also show their support with Subs and Bits. Streamers can also allow their fans to hear and see their reactions via their webcam that appears in the video player above Chat.
To use the Watch Parties feature, streamers will first have to add the Watch Party Quick Action Stream Manager. Then, streamers need to connect Watch Parties with their own Prime or Prime video account. Then, streams only have to select the TV show or movie they want to watch when it is time to stream, and broadcast it live.
The move comes at a time when co-watching experiences like this have on the rise due to the pandemic. Individuals across the globe are staying home due to the coronavirus lockdowns, and they have turned to co-viewing to stay connected with their loved ones. Currently, the Watch Parties feature is not available on smartphone devices, however, Twitch said that it is working to make the feature available on mobile devices. It is expected that the feature will be rolled out in the upcoming few months.
Read next: Where Do The Social Media Companies Stand In 2020 (infographic)
