With lockdowns happening around the world due to coronavirus, watching films and TVs with your friends and family hasn’t been an option. Well Amazon has just made it sort of possible with Prime Video Watch Party.
Sure, you can agree on a certain time to start watching the same content as another household or even countdown to hitting the play button over the phone. But the likelihood, when you factor in buffering, is that you won’t truly be watching in sync.
Amazon Prime Video Watch Party is a simple and easy way to watch with other people without all the faff and works in a very similar way to BBC Together.
How to start an Amazon Prime Video Watch Party
It pretty much goes without saying but you and the other people watching will need a Prime Video subscription. Here’s what to do once you’ve logged in on a browser (details below):
- Find the content you want to watch
- Select ‘Watch Party’
- Enter your name
- Click “Create Watch Party” to generate a link
- Send the link to people you want to join
- Enjoy the show, including the chat window
What content does Prime Video Watch Party work with?
It makes sense that you can’t watch rented or purchased content using the Watch Party feature, as well as Prime Video Channels, IMDb TV and live events.
Instead, you can use it for anything with the Prime logo or that says ‘Watch Now with Amazon Prime’. Find out what we think are the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
What devices does Prime Video Watch Party work on?
For now, Amazon is restricting Watch Party to web browsers (not including Safari or Internet Explorer) and doesn’t need a plug in.
That means you can’t use Watch Party on other devices like smart TVs, mobiles, streaming boxes like the Fire TV range. Amazon may well add this feature further down the line, though.
How many people can join a Prime Video Watch Party?
A lot. Up to 100 people can join the party and that means devices; so technically 200 people if, for example, two people are viewing on each device.
Remember that the host and all participants need to have a valid Prime Video subscription. If you don’t then a free trial is available.
Is Prime Video Watch Party available in the UK?
Not at the moment. Prime Video Watch Party is only available in the US, but Amazon may expand it to other countries soon.
If you’re wondering about using a VPN to get around it, Amazon warns that you’ll simply see an error message.
Amazon does say that “While traveling outside the U.S., eligible Prime members will see a “Watch While Abroad” carousel when browsing Prime Video.”
Via Techadvisor