The COVID-19 outbreak is still in full force, and as a result, there are tons of people stuck at home. Also, most movie theaters remain shuttered, and will likely stay that way for months to come. That means people are connecting to streaming services more and more at home. That includes the HBO Go and HBO Now streaming services. Now there’s a new way to watch HBO with friends while stuck at home.
Scener, which already allows users to watch Netflix content with friends remotely, has entered into an agreement with WarnerMedia. It allows the Chrome extension to officially access the content on HBO, on either HBO Go or HBO Now. That means you can watch shows like Game of Thrones, Westworld, and Big Little Lies, along with major movies like Joker, Hobbes and Shaw, and others at the same time with up to 20 friends on your Windows, Mac, or Chromebook.
How to watch HBO Go and HBO Now with your friends via Scener
It’s pretty simple to set up the Scener extension to begin watching HBO content with friends:
- Establish a free account on Scener’s website.
- Download and install the Scener Chrome extension.
- Click the Scener logo.
- Click the Scener menu on the top right corner of the screen and select HBO Settings.
- You will then be asked if you have an HBO Go subscription (if you have a paid cable HBO subscription) or HBO Now (if you have a paid streaming HBO Now service). Pick which one you are signed up for
- Click on the Create Private Theater option in the extension, and select HBO.
- Finally, go to the HBO show or movie you want to watch and send the included URL to your friends.
Scener plans to release an upcoming update that will add support for even bigger parties. It will also soon add support for watching HBO content with a live host or a live group via video chat.
We are seeing more and more of these kinds of remote watch parties being added. Recently, Twitch started offering support for its new Watch Parties feature. Currently, PC Twitch users who are in the US and have subscribed to Amazon Prime Video can join Watch Parties run by others. They can run these parties by using all of the thousands of movies and TV shows available on Amazon Prime Video.
Via Phandroid