But when the pandemic forced local governments to issue stay-at-home orders, Hulu accelerated plans for Watch Party and developed the feature in less than eight weeks. Features like virtual watch parties bring a social element into the equation that keep users engaged longer.įor Hulu, the Watch Party feature it launched its beta version in May 2020 started as an employee and intern hackathon project nine months before. According to a Deloitte survey published this month, 62% of people who signed up for a streaming service, did so to watch a specific show or film and canceled their subscription once they were done watching it. Rolling out features like virtual parties is crucial in the battle for attracting and retaining users.

Hulu's Watch Party feature launched in May 2020. These features were in the works well before COVID-19 struck, but the pandemic spurred them to step up development. Over the last 12 months, Hulu, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and Sling all rolled out virtual watch parties, enabling groups of people to watch shows and films at the same time.

With people now spending more time than ever at home because of the pandemic, streaming services are meeting demand by doling out fresh content and serving up new features that expand the viewing experience. Although Ella, whose parents asked us to withhold her full name because she is a minor, couldn't be in the same room with her girlfriends, this solution proved the next best thing - and for the girls that night, it was.Įlla and her friends are just a handful of the millions of people who have adapted to these unprecedented times. On tap for tonight? Two episodes of 'Gilmore Girls,' a show Ella and her 'best friend crew' had never seen. Thanks.'Įvery few weeks, Ella and her four best friends assembled at their laptops, snacks and drinks in hand, to watch something on the popular streaming service with Teleparty, a browser extension that lets users view the same Netflix movie or show at the same time. 'Can you get off of Netflix in 15 minutes?' she asked. One brisk Friday evening in January at around 9:30 p.m., 15-year-old Ella rushed down the stairs of her home in Stevenson Ranch, California with an announcement for her parents, who were watching 'Lupin ,' a new Netflix series, in the living room.

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