More and more people have realized how much they miss watching shows and movies with family and friends. While there have been third-party apps like NetflixParty and Scener that have filled the void on services like Netflix and HBO — earlier this year Hulu added the feature themselves (no plug-in required).
At the time, “Hulu Watch Party” was only to those with Hulu (No Ads) streaming on Hulu.com. However, now Hulu (ad-supported) users can test the feature with “Pen15”, which returns for it’s second season on Friday.
How to Launch a “Hulu Watch Party”
- Go to Show or Movie Detail Page
- Click the “Watch Party” icon
- Copy the link to invite family and friends
While ad-free users can use Watch Party on any episode in the Hulu streaming library, those ad-supported users can try it on all episodes “Pen15”.
While watching, you can chat with the other viewers in real time. You can control your own playback, but if you need a bathroom break, you can click “Catch Up” to rejoin where the rest of the group is watching. The feature is available on PC and Mac on all browsers that Hulu supports without the need of separate plug-in or extension.
Hulu isn’t the only Disney streaming service trying a group streaming feature. Disney+ is currently testing “GroupWatch” in Canada, with plans to expand it to all users this Fall.