Previously only available to select users, Twitch Watch Parties are now available for everyone worldwide.
With Watch Parties, streamers can broadcast movies and TV shows so that they can watch, react, and discuss them with their viewers.
Watch Parties allow Twitch creators to broadcast films and TV shows from Amazon Prime Video’s catalog.
When activated, the entire video player is taken up by the media, with the streamer’s webcam appearing separately on the right of the screen. As usual, viewers can then engage with the streamer and each other within the chat, along with donating Bits and Subs.
Watch parties aren’t a new concept. In fact, Amazon already has its own Watch Party function, and you can also host a Hulu Watch Party.
However, some Twitch broadcasters regularly pull in tens of thousands of viewers, so this could be a really lucrative way for Amazon to advertise its streaming content.
Twitch’s Watch Parties began in October 2019 with a select group of beta testers. It then rolled out to those in the United States. Now, Watch Parties can be used by everyone who uses Twitch globally.
To host or join Watch Parties, you must have an active Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscription.
Also, because Amazon’s content varies from region to region, you will not be able to join a stream if it’s broadcasting something usually inaccessible to you.
Currently, Twitch Watch Parties are only available on desktop, but Twitch is working on a mobile version that should be available in the coming months.
For technical information on how to set up and use Watch Parties, visit the Twitch Watch Parties help page.
With many of us stuck indoors due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, watch parties are a nice way to get that communal viewing experience virtually. And Twitch is making the most of this.
If you don’t subscribe to Amazon Prime, and therefore can’t use Twitch Watch Parties, you might want to try a free alternative, like the one offered by Facebook.