Disney+ introduces GroupWatch, everyone can watch together remotely

One of the fun parts of watching a movie or TV show is to do it with friends and now Disney+ is giving you this opportunity to watch remotely with friends and family with a new GroupWatch feature.

GroupWatch allows for up to seven people to watch together in a synced playback experience available across web, mobile, connected TV devices and Smart TVs, and share reactions in real time. 

For those who have watched live TV and either texted others or used Twitter to join in the fun with the Twitterverse, the experience will be for a small group.

“Storytelling comes alive when you’re able to share and enjoy it with others, and in this moment when many are still apart from their friends and family, GroupWatch offers a way to safely connect virtually by co-viewing your favorite Disney+ stories with your favorite people from the comfort of your living room,” said Jerrell B Jimerson, SVP Product Management for Disney+. 

Subscribers can launch the experience through the GroupWatch icon found on the Details page of series and movies from the Disney+ library.

They will then be given a link to invite up to six other people to watch with them (Disney+ subscription required). Invitations must originate from mobile or web, but you can then watch from your connected TV device or Smart TV. 

GroupWatch’s synchronized playback allows each participant the ability to pause for a bathroom break, play, rewind to watch a favorite scene again, or fast forward, for the whole group. 

While watching, viewers can react in real time with six different emojis: “like”, “funny”, “sad”, “angry”, “scared” and “surprised” through the Disney+ app.

After initially launching in a test version in Canada on Sept. 10 and in Australia and New Zealand on Sept. 18,, the feature is now live in the United States. The feature is expected to expand to Europe later this fall.