Hulu's New Watch Party Feature Is Easy To Use But Has Some Major Drawbacks

Back in March, the Google Chrome extension Netflix Party launched, which allowed you to watch content with your friends over the internet. What connected the viewers was a chatroom where everyone could talk to each other like you were in a AOL chatroom in 1996. The extension was a lot of fun and a great way to connect with people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, it was revealed Hulu was testing its own watch party feature with select subscribers, and it feels like a much more polished Netflix Party.

Hulu Watch Party isn't available for everyone to control. It is currently only available to Hulu (no ads) or Hulu (no ads) + Live TV subscribers, and that's to control it or to watch it with friends, which is one of two major drawbacks to this service. The other issue is that you need to be in a supported web browser--Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. Not everything is available for a Watch Party--including live TV or premium add-ons; however, searching through Hulu's catalog, we didn't find anything that couldn't be included in a Watch Party.

The person setting up the party selects something from Hulu's catalog. To the right of the "Play" button, there is another button that says "Watch Party" when you highlight it. You click that, get another prompt about Watch Party, then you get a link to share with friends. You can only share with seven other people, but do you really need more than eight people in a chatroom for a film? Again, everyone joining the party needs to have a Hulu (no ads) or Hulu (no ads) + Live TV account.

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One interesting thing is that when the host of the party and the guests' streams are out of sync. Hulu Watch Party lets you know that you are out of sync with the option to sync-up with the host, instead of automatically doing it. This will come in handy if you have a host who accidentally clicks on the time bar or someone who wants to jump ahead to "the good parts." There are also a plethora of emojis to choose from on the chat bar.

It's very easy to use, and it exists within Hulu, so you don't need to add an extension. Most importantly, it's legal. While Hulu's new watch service and Netflix Party utilize every viewer's account to stream content, hosting parties through Zoom, Discord, or the many other extensions or programs only stream from one account, so there are legal issues, as GameSpot discussed with law professor at Cornell Tech and Law School James Grimmelmann. Hulu Watch Party is simple to set up and use, but you have to be in a higher-tier subscription and on your computer, but where else will you be able to watch Holey Moley with friends right now? It's probably not something you'll want to pay extra money a month for, but for those already in the no ads tier, this is a very nice addition to Hulu.

Hulu's no ad plan will cost you $12 a month--with Hulu's ad-supported subscription costing $6 a month. If you have the Live TV tier, which costs $55 a month, you'll have to upgrade to Live TV (no ads), which costs $61 a month. You can learn more about the tiers for the streaming service below if you're interested in hosting your own watch party.

And speaking of things you should be watching, consider listening to GameSpot's weekly TV series and movies-focused podcast, You Should Be Watching. With new episodes premiering every Wednesday, you can watch a video version of the podcast over on GameSpot Universe or listen to audio versions on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.

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