Scener, Netflix Team for ‘Stranger Things’ Premiere Watch Party; Next Step as Service Looks to Promote Engagement
“Stranger Things” fans have something extra to look forward to as Netflix partners with start-up Scener to host a Season 4 finale watch party. The hit series’ last two episodes are scheduled to begin streaming on Friday, and the party starts the night before with the worldwide virtual event bringing stars David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Joseph Quinn, and Jamie Campbell Bower to join a live Q&A.
⚡️ ARE ⚡️ YOU ⚡️ READY? ⚡
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) June 29, 2022
join David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Jamie Campbell Bower and Joseph Quinn for a Q&A followed by a virtual watch party of STRANGER THINGS 4 Vol. 2 this Thursday powered by @scener!
RSVP now at https://t.co/G6eONWXWnI pic.twitter.com/4vQDXXs0k0
While Season 4 part 2 is scheduled to release on Friday, July 1 at 3 a.m. ET subscribers can start the festivities a half-hour earlier on Thursday, 11:30 p.m. PT. While there is no charge for the event, viewers will still need access to their Netflix accounts.
The eighth and ninth episodes are scheduled to premiere after the live Q&A in Scener’s virtual party room which can host over 1,000 participants. Using the same technology, the start-up held a similar event for “Zack Snyder's Justice League” upon its release in 2021.
Scener launched as a stand-alone company in 2018. With offices in L.A. and Seattle, the service boasts over 3 million unique users worldwide. The success of “Stranger Things” makes a watch party perfect for a global virtual event, and as Scener partners with Netflix it opens the possibility for similar content celebrations. Other popular Netflix properties, such as “The Umbrella Academy,” could benefit from the added exposure that global watch parties can bring.
Netflix has been changing its business model by experimenting with new ways of developing relationships with its subscribers. The streamer has been branching out into international markets for some time, even stating that non-English content could dominate European subscribers' screens by 2030. The goal is to increase the service’s footprint in order to continue adding global subscribers while also diversifying the platform’s offerings.
The streamer has also been making headway into the gaming industry with recent releases on mobile platforms that feature some of Netflix’s most popular properties.
Teaming up with Scener for an international watch party might be the next step in creating a more engaging user experience that promotes interactivity and deeper engagement with the company’s content; something that Netflix desperately needs after the last few tumultuous months.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.