Watch Party

A digital event centred around the simultaneous viewing of media, such as a film, television show, or sports, by a group of people.

Traditionally, a watch party refers to individuals gathering in a single physical location to view content together. In the digital age, the term has evolved to describe virtual gatherings where geographically dispersed participants synchronise the playback of media content via the internet. Watch parties started to spread during the pandemic when people could participate offline in activities and meet, so the idea of a digital watch party became an obvious solution. However, when the pandemic ended, people continued to watch content together at watch parties because they found it convenient and time-saving: they didn't need to spend time going somewhere and organising events.

There is an arguable question whether we can call any live stream a watch party: on the one hand, people gather together online, watch and discuss content together. At the same time, the live stream has a host, initiator of the event, who manages content so it is a bit closer to being considered as a traditional TV show. Watch parties are often characterised by the same playback for all participants, while live streaming can be watched differently by participants, and the content which is streamed by a host is usually online content.

A watch party can be organised not just through specific tools like a browser extension or app, but also through the synchronised start and finish of the content screening. In this case, a watch party is close to a film screening at online festivals, for example. What is important for such a watch party is a place for communication and interaction for users, like a public community chat linked to the video player. Within huge players in the video industry, Hulu is popular for their watch parties and opportunities for users to interact with each other while watching. 

Key Characteristics

Synchronised Playback ensures that all participants view the same frame of content at the same time.

Integrated Communication: Digital watch parties typically include built-in features such as text chat, voice and video chat or additional stream, allowing participants to react and discuss the content in real-time.

Social Connectivity: These sessions are designed to replicate the communal experience of traditional co-viewing, enabling social interaction around media even when participants are not in the same physical space.

Read more about the way to engage viewers while watching