Twitch and Amazon officially launched ‘Watch Parties’ on Wednesday, September 2. Image: Twitch via AFP Relaxnews
Watching a film with your friends, even those who live miles away, has never been easier. Starting this September, you can watch films and series in the Amazon Prime Video catalog with your community on Twitch.
The new functionality launched by the two streaming platforms is in keeping with the times because it enables people to come together to watch television without breaching physical distancing recommendations.
In the wake of beta testing by a select group of streamers in October 2019, the new feature, which has been christened “Watch Parties”, has now been made available to Twitch users all over the world. It allows subscribers to Amazon Prime Video to connect their accounts to the Twitch platform, so as to share a cinema-style experience with friends.
However, be warned that what subscribers can see on Amazon Prime Video depends on the copyright jurisdiction where they are located, so it is important to select content that is marked as “broadly available” for international watch parties.
As well as sharing their screens, streamers will also be able to display webcam footage to show their reactions to the film or series. They will also have the option of collecting Bits, mini-donations from viewers that provide support for streamers.
“Watch Parties” has yet to be integrated in the Twitch mobile application, but according to the official press release, Amazon is planning to add it in the coming months, so we just have to be patient.
Other platforms that already allow screen sharing include “Netflix Party” and “Metastream”. CC
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