Disney+ Discontinues GroupWatch Feature; Is Move Intended to Get More Customers on Disney+ Basic?
The GroupWatch feature on Disney+ is no more. According to What's on Disney+, the feature is no longer available in any territories around the globe, meaning that Disney+ subscribers can no longer synch up a title and watch it together while being in separate households.
GroupWatch had several restrictions, most notably that all users had to be subscribed to an ad-free tier of Disney+ to access it. Customers also had to be in the same country/region, as different content is available for Disney+ subscribers in different areas around the globe. The feature was first launched in 2020, and gained popularity during COVID-19 lockdowns.
“For now, we have confirmed that the GroupWatch feature has been removed as a feature on in all regions for Disney+. There is no report when it will be back on Disney+,” a Disney+ support representative told What’s on Disney+.
The amount of care Disney has taken to scrub any mention of GroupWatch from its pages could be a big indication that it’s not coming back any time soon. The feature is no longer mentioned in the Disney+ help pages, and its page simply redirects users to the Disney+ home screen. It’s entirely possible that the easing of global COVID restrictions in the intervening years has meant that not enough people are using GroupWatch to justify its continued existence.
There could be another reason Disney has decided to nix the GroupWatch feature on Disney+. The company may see it as an encumbrance as it tries to sign more users up to its ad-supported plan Disney+ Basic. One of the requirements for GroupWatch was that both users be subscribed to ad-free Disney+ Premium, and if Disney had any data to support the assertion that customers were opting for that tier specifically because it allowed them to use GroupWatch, it makes sense that the company would give it the axe.
The portion of users who were opting for ad-free Disney+ specifically to use the GroupWatch feature is likely quite small, but Disney has to pull out all the stops to get more users on its ad-supported plan. That tier brings in more money per customer than ad-free Disney+ does, which is a big reason the company is raising the price of its ad-free streaming tiers on Disney+ and Hulu on Oct. 12.
A recent survey found that 36% of sign-ups to Disney+ between January and May of this year were for Disney+ Basic, so the company has clearly been experiencing some success with the plan. Whether it had anything to do with the discontinuation of GroupWatch is ultimately a mystery still, but Disney+ users will have one fewer feature to enjoy the next time they log onto the service.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”