Sling TV, Dish Network’s streaming TV service, has joined the Watch Party craze with a co-watching feature that includes real-time video and chat interactions.
The company said the feature is currently available to existing Sling TV customers on Google Chrome web browsers via laptop and desktop computers. Through a special beta preview (running through Sept. 30), guests may join a Sling Watch Party by creating a free Sling TV account.
The Watch Party feature works for live and on-demand content in Sling Orange, Sling Blue, Sling Latino and Sling International services, or any Sling TV Extra, but chosen content must be a part of the customer’s current subscription.
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The company said that all participants will have full control over their own video camera, the volume of their individual content stream and volume of video chat streams received from other participants. The subscriber hosting a Watch Party can manage player controls, including play, pause and rewind for on-demand programming.
"We know that for so many, it's not just about what you are watching, it's who you are watching with. Sling Watch Party is all about bringing people together to share in the moments that matter," said Jon Lin, vice president of product of Sling TV, in a statement. "We could all use more time together to enjoy our favorite sports and entertainment, which is why we created this amazing new feature."
Sling TV said it’s the first live TV service to offer a co-watching feature. However, plenty of other streaming services including Amazon Prime Video and Hulu have been testing similar features.