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Disney+ is getting a watch party mode
Some users in Canada can try GroupWatch, which should be available elsewhere soon.
Facebook helps you host viewing parties for live TV
Facebook's Watch Party won't just help you help watch online videos with friends -- it'll soon help with old-school TV. The social network is launching a new Watch Party experience that will let you host live TV shows, starting with sports. Start a party and you can cheer in chat, create polls and offer trivia questions based on player stats. It's not going to compare to gathering around the couch, but it should deliver more of a thrill than everyday group discussions.
Facebook is testing 'Watch Party' features on Instagram, too
The only thing better than watching great videos is hate-watching terrible ones while making jokes about them with friends. Facebook caught onto that idea with its Watch Party feature, and it might soon bring something similar to Instagram, according to code uncovered by reverse-engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong. A feature called "cowatch" could let you and others watch Instagram stories, videos, Instagram TV (IGTV) or other content in a similar way to Watch Party.
Facebook renews 'Sorry for Your Loss' and three more Watch originals
Facebook is renewing four of the most popular original shows available on its Watch video hub for a second season. They include the social network's biggest stab at creating a peak TV series in the Elizabeth Olsen-starring drama, Sorry for Your Loss; the teen show filmed from different perspectives and exec-produced by Kerry Washington, Five Points; a reality series starring makeup artist Huda Kattan, Huda Boss; and a young adult lit adaptation from horror maestros Blumhouse Productions, Sacred Lies.
'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' comes to Facebook Watch
Starting today, you can give in to your nostalgia and watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly on Facebook Watch. The show comes to the social network as part of a deal with 20th Century Fox. Every episode of the classic programs from Joss Whedon will be made available for you to stream, including as part of Facebook's recently announce Watch Party feature.
Facebook expands Watch Party to Pages and profiles
Earlier this year, Facebook launched Watch Party, a way for members of Facebook Groups to watch videos together, and since then, more than 12 million Watch Parties have been hosted on the platform. Now, Facebook is bringing them to Pages and profiles. The company said in July that it was exploring the idea of expanding Watch Party beyond just Groups, and it has been testing the video-watching feature with a handful of Pages, including those managed by WWE and BuzzFeed. It added that Watch Parties have been rolling out to individuals' profiles as well and the feature is now available globally as of today.
Facebook is testing a Watch Party-like feature for Messenger
Earlier this year, Facebook rolled out Watch Parties, a way for group members to watch the same videos together. Now, it looks like the company is testing a similar feature for Messenger. TechCrunch reports that code spotted by mobile investigator Ananay Arora points to a Watch Party-like feature for Messenger that lets everyone in the chat "control the video and see who's watching" as well as "chat about the same videos at the same time."
Facebook and MTV are revamping 'The Real World'
Facebook's big push into original video content is only getting stronger. Less than two months after the worldwide launch of its Watch streaming service, which is also trying to lure in independent creators, the company is making some major show announcements. For starters, Facebook is now teaming up with MTV on a "reimagined" version of the popular reality series The Real World, which will have an interactive, social component that'll let viewers vote one housemate onto the show before it airs. The new seasons of The Real World, set to debut exclusively on Facebook Watch in 2019, will be produced in Mexico, Thailand and, of course, the United States.
Facebook's 'shared viewing' video feature is coming to all groups
Facebook has made it clear that it wants to make video a crucial part of its business, as it looks to compete with the likes of YouTube, Amazon and Netflix. And, over the past few months, the company's been making changes to help it get there, launching new features aimed at making videos more social. One of those is Watch Party, an experimental tool introduced in January that lets members of Facebook groups watch videos together and simultaneously. That shared watching experience, which works with both live and pre-recorded videos, was only available to select users when it was first announced, but now Facebook is bringing it to every group worldwide.
Facebook adds livestream features to old videos
Facebook says its Live videos are wildly popular and generate around six times the interaction other videos do. That's why it's testing a new feature that adds the elements responsible for making Live a more engaging, interactive experience to non-Live videos on the platform. Starting today, select Groups will have access to "Watch Party," an experimental tool that creates a shared experience for multiple users. It allows administrators to post any public video on their Group, which members can then watch together at the same time. (Also, it probably helps that a billion accounts use Facebook Groups every month.) They can even leave comments and reactions that show up on screen the same way they do on Live, whatever it is they're watching.
Rub elbows with music’s C-list on Vevo’s Watch Party Live
Vevo launched Watch Party this past March as a way to watch music videos with your friends. You simply invite a bunch of buddies to a virtual room, built a playlist of videos from Vevo's catalogue , and everyone gets to watch at the same time. Now, Vevo's taking the concept even further with the addition of Watch Party Live, in which music stars create the playlist and interact with fans via a picture-in-picture video chat.
Vevo's Watch Party lets you watch music videos in sync with your friends
Ever since streaming video became commonplace, people have expressed a desire to be able to virtually have a movie night with friends who aren't in the same place. Google has even released an app that lets you watch YouTube in sync with friends on your phones. Vevo may not have feature films or popular TV shows on its service, but the company believes that letting friends simultaneously watch its vast catalog of music videos can be highly engaging. To that end, Vevo is announcing a new feature called "Watch Party," which should be live by the end of the month. It lets you invite a bunch of friends to a room hosted on the Vevo website and build a queue of music videos that play back in sync regardless of where you're tuning in from. (Assuming you're in one of the 14 countries where Vevo is available, of course.) Anyone with a Vevo account can set up a "room" and start inviting friends to it. Once people start joining, the playback continues unabated; there's no way to pause or rewind. It's basically like you're all tuned in to MTV from your various homes, except that this version of MTV still plays music videos.
