How to Host Watch Parties Together on Facebook Messenger
Facebook’s new See Together feature supports up to eight people on Facebook Messenger or 50 people using Messenger Rooms . Regardless of how you choose to structure your digital party, it’s a convenient way to get everyone to watch (and comment on) the same videos at the same time.
Group viewing is not a unique feature these days. However, Facebook’s implementation allows you to watch both videos and live streams from your colleagues’ cameras in the same application window, adding a new twist to most other hour night features. This should make co-browsing more fun if you’re primarily interested in Facebook video content.
Watch Together can only be used for videos uploaded or streamed to Facebook. User-generated clips and live streams make up the bulk of Facebook video content, making this feature best for sharing personal videos or memes with people you rarely see.
It probably won’t work for your next movie night or show season with your distant friends, unless you plan on watching something from Facebook’s small selection of exclusive movies and web series. Facebook’s announcement posts say this will add more content in the future, and while there are some decent things available, it’s still pretty subtle at the moment.
Aside from content restrictions, Watch Together is easy to set up:
- Start a group video call in Messenger or Messenger Rooms.
- Swipe up to open the menu during a call.
- Click Watch Together.
- Select the video you want to watch with your group.
The app will display a list of suggested videos when you select Watch Together, or you can use the search bar to find a specific page or video. You can also view a list of other categories:
- “Television and Movies ” includes original and third-party films available through Facebook;
- Music includes recorded performances and music videos.
- “Live” – all live broadcasts taking place at the moment.
- “Uploaded” allows you to share videos that you have uploaded to Facebook.
- “ Watched “ is the history of the videos you have already watched.
Facebook says it will roll out across its various Messenger apps in the coming weeks, so if you try the Watch Together feature on Messenger and can’t find it, just wait a little longer.
In the meantime, we can show you how to organize a long distance movie night with Movies Anywhere, or sync shows on BBC , Hulu, Disney + or Netflix so you can watch them remotely with friends.