A feature previously only available to some subscribers can now be used by all Hulu customers—but there’s a small catch.
Hulu launched its co-viewing and chat function back in May, but the feature was only available at the time to subscribers of Hulu’s premium ad-free tier. Now, however, subscribers to both Hulu’s ad-free and ad-supported options can use Watch Party, which supports co-viewing for up to eight people. A Hulu spokesperson told Gizmodo the feature is supported on “thousands of movies and shows in our on-demand library,” and supported titles will now have a Watch Party icon on their respective details pages.
Unfortunately, the feature is currently only supported on Hulu.com on a desktop, laptop, or tablet, meaning it won’t be accessible through the app on your phone or smart TV. However, it’s possible that the feature could become available on other devices down the line as Hulu gathers more feedback about the response to the feature.
The feature is only available to users 18 years of age or older. To access the Watch Party feature on Hulu, click the “Watch Party” icon from a title’s landing page (you should see it next to the “Start watching” button). From there, you’ll be able to share a link with up to seven other Hulu subscribers, who you’ll be able to chat with in real-time while streaming a series or film.
Hulu’s sister service Disney+ recently rolled out its own co-watching feature called GroupWatch. Unlike Hulu’s though, Disney’s interactions with other viewers were limited to emoji reactions. So while it may not be available across apps and devices just yet, Hulu’s definitely got Disney beat with a chat function you actually might use.