In times of Corona, joint film evenings, let alone joint cinema evenings, have become a rarity. The Disney+ streaming service is well aware of this. The provider has now added the so-called “Groupwatch” function to its service. This is intended to enable users to enjoy a joint movie night even from a distance.
An end to loneliness
The major streaming services a la Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ were among the big winners of the Corona crisis. Since a lot of people all over the world were forbidden to meet with friends and family or even to leave the house without a valid reason, this is hardly surprising. Many people spent their time with lonely video evenings in front of the TV or another streaming source. Disney+ now wants to put an end to this loneliness. Thanks to “Groupwatch”, it should be possible in the future to hold joint film evenings with up to seven participants rather than lonely ones. In doing so, one should be able to access the entire Disney+ offering. Users in the USA can already enjoy the films, series and documentaries from Disney’s streaming service in groups. In Europe, the new feature should reach us this fall.
Groupwatch is started via app
In order to start the shared movie enjoyment, you need an appropriate mobile device. Since the introduction of the service, the app has a new icon which can be found under the details of the movies, series or documentaries. Of course, the corresponding medium can then also be played on TV. You don’t necessarily have to watch it on your smartphone. The person who activates Groupwatch receives a link from Disney+. This link can then be forwarded to the desired participants of the session. After you have opened the link, you can start the playback. So that everyone is in the same place at the same time, Disney+ synchronizes the moving images. However, this is only possible up to a maximum of seven viewers.
Everyone can join in
With Groupwatch, Disney+ relies on distributed control. This means that every participant of the movie evening can start or pause the playback. Thus, even possible toilet visits do not destroy the fun. Of course it is also possible to fast forward or rewind. However, disturbing scenarios can also develop here. So you should always think carefully about who you invite to a group session and who you do not invite. However, you cannot communicate verbally via the app. This decision is very reasonable. After all, the enjoyment of the film should not be disturbed. Nevertheless, Disney has thought about a different way of communication. With the help of six different emojis, everyone can directly share their opinion about the scene they have just seen with the other viewers. Here you can choose between the statements “Like”, “Funny”, “Sad”, “Angry”, “Frightened” and “Surprised”.
Not only a good idea in corona times
Of course, Disney+ could not have had better timing for its Groupwatch feature. After all, the corona virus forces us into social distance. With Groupwatch you can still enjoy movies together. But even if the corona virus is defeated at some point, this feature is very practical. Especially friends who live far away from each other can still watch a movie together thanks to Groupwatch. In our globalized world, in which friends are increasingly being driven to different places worldwide, Groupwatch is perfect.
