Watch Parties for Streaming TV Gaining Popularity

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The COVID-19 pandemic has given a significant boost to cowatching, also known as the watch party, according to new watch party market research from The Diffusion Group. Both terms refer to the simultaneous consumption of content by multiple parties

The growth is tied to the rise of connected TVs and video-based chat during the pandemic. The study, “The Rise of Social Viewing & Watch Parties,” says that 25 million adults in the U.S. – one in seven SVOD users – cowatched an online TV show or movie with friends or family during the pandemic.

Cowatching is known to 60% of adult SVOD viewers, with 30% “acquainted with or using the feature.” The fortunes may rise further: Lauren Kozak, a Senior Analyst for The Diffusion Group and author of the report, said in a press release that 54% of those surveyed who have never cowatched an online movie or TV show would consider doing so.

Other highlights from the report:

  • Among cowatchers, more than half have used the Teleparty, while one-third engaged the SVOD features.
  • The greatest potential for watch parties lies in cowatching live sports, though only a handful of apps currently support it.
  • Those in the 18 to 24 year-old age group are by far the most likely to have engaged in cowatching.
  • The vast majority of would-be cowatchers would prefer to cowatch on their home TV and not computers or mobile devices—which currently are the most common devices for cowatching.

The activity is not completely new. In 2018, two services – Scener and Netflix Watch Party – launched. Netflix Watch Party now is called Teleparty. Until recently, though, the category was dominated by technology-oriented people.

In March, 2020 – when the pandemic took hold – Instagram added the feature. Streaming companies including Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Sling TV followed.

“The pandemic not only drove home media consumption, but accelerated the use of connected TVs and video-based chat,” Kozak said in the press release. “Not surprisingly, the two trends coalesced to create a new hybrid, the online watch party. In place of enjoying a movie with a friend or family member at a local theater, or sharing a TV show with guests at home, 25 million adults watched synched, on-demand video with others outside their home via internet-connected screens.”