Movies Anywhere – a digital movie service run by Disney in partnership with Warner Bros., Universal, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox – now has a co-watching feature.
Watch Together lets Movies Anywhere users sync up a movie and watch together remotely with other users. The feature works across mobile, web and most connected smart TVs, and lets users interact with emojis.
The feature also works with Screen Pass, a Movies Anywhere feature that allows users to share purchased content in their library with others on a temporary basis. A host participating in the Screen Pass beta can choose an eligible film from their library and send an invite for that film to up to three friends, along with the Watch Together room code or URL.
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In April, the company said that Screen Pass was moving from closed to open beta testing. During open beta, anyone will be able to accept a Screen Pass but only the beta test group can send them. Users can request to join the open beta by signing up using this link.
Movies Anywhere said participation in the Screen Pass beta is continuing to grow “exponentially.”
“As we head towards Screen Pass commercial launch, we are continuing to monitor feedback from our user base and are making enhancements and improvements accordingly,” the company said. “We know, for example, that many Screen Pass recipients wanted the freedom to choose which movie they want to watch, so we made this happen with newly launched functionality that allows the Screen Pass recipient to choose an eligible movie from a sender’s library and watch it instantly.”
Movies Anywhere currently works with Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play/YouTube, Microsoft Movies and TV, Comcast Xfinity, FandangoNow, Verizon Fios TV and LG smart TVs. The app consolidates access to digital purchases from studios including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures (including DreamWorks and Illumination Entertainment), The Walt Disney Studios (including Disney, Pixar, Twentieth Century Studios, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm), and Warner Bros. Entertainment.