Disney+ users are getting a fun new feature today that will make watching movies a little more interactive. Called GroupWatch, this free update allows up to seven friends to join online and view Disney’s expansive range of content together even if they are on other sides of the country,
Sadly, that doesn’t mean everyone gets free Disney+ as all those taking part in GroupWatch needs to have a subscription which costs £5.99 per month.
However, if your friends already pay for this service it looks like a nice way to enjoy a movie together in these strange socially distanced times.
“Storytelling comes alive when you’re able to share and enjoy it with others, and in this moment when many are still apart from their friends and family, GroupWatch offers a way to safely connect virtually by co-viewing your favourite Disney+ stories with your favourite people from the comfort of your living room,” said Jerrell Jimerson, SVP, Product, Disney+.
If you want to give it a try then you can launch the experience through the GroupWatch icon found on the Details page of series and movies on Disney+.
You’ll then be given a link to invite up to six other people, who also subscribe to Disney+, to watch with you.
Invitations must originate from mobile or web, but you can then watch from your connected TV device or Smart TV.
Once everyone is sat comfortably on their sofas, GroupWatch then offers synchronised playback. This even means if one person pauses for a loo break the movie will stop playing for everyone else.
You can also play, rewind to watch a favourite scene again, or fast forward, for the whole group.
To add to the fun, viewers can react in real-time with six different emojis: “like”, “funny”, “sad”, “angry”, “scared” and “surprised” through the Disney+ app.
GroupWatch is rolling out from today.
Disney+ first arrived in the UK back in March and appears to be proving rather popular.
The latest figures from the media company have revealed it now has over 50 million paid subscribers globally.
Disney+ has managed this milestone in just five months – it took Netflix over 10 years to reach the same amount of subscribers.
