Twitch Watch Parties Beta Feature With Prime Video Expands In US

Late last year, streaming platform Twitch announced a new upcoming feature called Watch Parties that enables groups of people to watch the same show together, though they're located in different places from each other. The feature was first tested with a small number of creators who could use Watch Parties to stream select Prime Video content with their communities.

Many people are stuck at home right now and the primary mode of socialization is digital. Watching movies with your friends currently requires a bit of technology — you can use a browser extension to sync up Netflix streams or, for those less tech-savvy, you can simply call a friend and stay on the phone with them while watching the same show.

Twitch is taking things up a notch with its Watch Parties feature, which enables a content creator to stream select Amazon Prime Video content to their communities. This enables the creator to offer their commentary on the show while participating with their fans in the form of a stream chat. The beta feature launched with support for Amazon Originals, among other content.

In an announcement on Thursday, Twitch revealed that it is expanding the Watch Parties beta to include all Twitch Partners who are located in the United States and who have an Amazon Prime subscription. In 'coming weeks,' this beta will expand again to all Twitch creators who have Amazon Prime, not just Partners.

Since its initial announcement about the feature, Twitch says it has refined the option and added new features, such as Picture-by-Picture support, so fans can more easily watch the content creator and hear their commentary. The feature has also received support for Bits and Subs. The company says Watch Parties is a priority for it and that the feature will be available outside of the US 'over the coming months.'