Hulu and Plex Rolling Out New Features for Streaming Video With Friends

Thursday May 28, 2020 10:22 am PDT by Juli Clover

Hulu is testing a new "Watch Party" feature that's designed to allow up to eight people to watch TV shows and movies together through the Hulu website and chat with one another while the content is playing.

huluwatchparty
Some Hulu users who sign in on the web will see a popup describing the new Watch Party option, which is available for a select number of TV shows and movies. Watch Party is limited to customers who have the Hulu plan with no ads, and it is only on the web at this time

We're testing something new on hulu.com so you can watch together, even when you're apart. Start a Watch Party by clicking the watch party icon on the details page of your favorite shows and movies. Try it and tell us what you think.

Starting a Watch Party with friends can be done by choosing a TV show or movie that supports the feature and clicking on the Watch Party icon. Hulu then provides a link that can be shared with up to seven people, and when everyone has joined, the host can start the show.

Participants need to be logged into Hulu and watchers need to have the no ads Hulu subscription, priced at $12 per month. As the TV show or movie plays, participants can chat with one another through an included chat box, and each person using the service can control their own playback without impacting the rest of the group.

Watch Party is a Hulu-built feature that works in any browser that supports Hulu streaming, with no plug-ins or extensions required.

Along with Hulu, Plex has also announced a new "Watch Together" beta feature today, which is designed to allow multiple people to watch movies and TV shows through Plex for free. The feature works with all free on-demand content on Plex, as well as content from personal media libraries.

Plex's feature has no communication option, however, and Plex recommends viewers use a separate chat app such as Zoom. Watch Together works on iOS, tvOS, Android devices, and Android TVs. Plex's Watch Together feature is an early release and more functionality will be coming in the future. Unlike Hulu's Watch Party, Watch Together is free to use.

Tags: Hulu, Plex

Popular Stories

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 10 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by Juli Clover

At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...

• 165 comments

Apple Says iPadOS 26 is Compatible With These iPad Models

Monday June 9, 2025 11:22 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple today announced that iPadOS 26 will be compatible with the iPad models listed below. iPadOS 26 features a new Liquid Glass design, a menu bar, improved app windowing, and more. iPadOS 26 supports the following iPad models:iPad Pro (M4) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later) iPad Air (M2 and later) iPad Air (3rd generation and...

• 118 comments

Apple 'Sherlocked' These Apps at WWDC 2025

Wednesday June 11, 2025 7:14 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple at WWDC previewed a bunch of new features coming in its updated operating systems, but certain changes will have been met with dismay by third-party developers who already offer apps with equivalent or similar features. In other words, their product has been "sherlocked" by Apple. When Apple creates an app or a feature that has functionality found in a third-party app, it is referred...

• 97 comments

Apple Says These 13 Vehicle Brands Will Soon Offer iPhone Car Keys

Monday June 9, 2025 2:38 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote today, Apple said that 13...

• 27 comments

iOS 26 Includes These 100 New Features and Changes for Your iPhone

Tuesday June 10, 2025 11:59 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple has announced iOS 26, and the upcoming software update includes a long list of new features and changes for iPhones. The first iOS 26 developer beta is now available, and a public beta will follow next month. The update will be released later this year. iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer. Below, we have provided a high-level overview of 100 new features and changes ...

• 51 comments

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by Juli Clover

iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...

• 200 comments

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...

• 58 comments

'AirPods Pro 3' Referenced in iOS 26 Code

Tuesday June 10, 2025 10:59 am PDT by Juli Clover

iOS 26 suggests that Apple is indeed working on a new version of the AirPods Pro that could be coming in the not too distant future. Code in iOS 26 discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser references the "AirPods Pro 3" alongside the "AirPods Pro" and the "AirPods Pro 2." There is no AirPods Pro 3 at the current time, but rumors suggest that Apple plans to introduce a new model this...

• 29 comments

Top Rated Comments

CarlJ

66 months ago

Can I pay Hulu more to let me never see A Night At The Roxbury?

I will let you pay me, and in turn, I will let you not watch it.

Maybe this will inspire Netflix to officially offer something similar to Watch Party, the Chrome add-on Netflix Party is pretty bad.

If the other streaming services are have any brains, they’ll be racing right now to add a watch party-style feature, because it’s a terrific way to drive subscriptions. Scenario:

6 friends want to watch a movie/show together during quarantine, and 4 of them have Hulu => strong motivation for the other two to subscribe. Then some other subset of those friends, including the new subscribers, pull in sill more friends. Rinse/repeat.

Kinda like the Messages blue-bubble phenomenon.

I remember back in the day of early Xbox 360 when you could watch movies at the same time as friends. Your avatars would all sit in a movie theatre setting and watch the video.

Just wait for Apple Glasses. You’ll be able to sit on your couch and watch the movie, and look to your left and right and see your friends avatars sitting next to you. Pass the popcorn.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

biggest father1

66 months ago

I remember back in the day of early Xbox 360 when you could watch movies at the same time as friends. Your avatars would all sit in a movie theatre setting and watch the video.

Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Read All Comments