Disney+ Discontinues Popular Feature
Disney+ has officially stopped supporting its GroupWatch feature popularized by the pandemic.
Disney+ has removed a feature popular with many that streamed shows and films with those they loved. Monday, the streamer announced the discontinuation of GroupWatch, which allowed multiple Disney+ users to watch the same programs at the same time. Introduced at the height of the pandemic, Disney+ GroupWatch was an incredibly easy way for people to organize watch parties while social distancing.
"As of September 18th, 2023, the GroupWatch feature will no longer be available on Disney+," a notice posted by Disney+ customer service reads. "We're always working to deliver the best product experience on Disney+, and as part of recent updates, the GroupWatch feature was removed."
GroupWatch first launched in September 2020 to rave reviews. In addition to watching shows or movies together, GroupWatch included other features as well such as reaction emojis to inform others what you thought at any given point during the stream.
"Storytelling comes alive when you're able to share and enjoy it with others, and in this moment when many are still apart from their friends and family, GroupWatch offers a way to safely connect virtually by co-viewing your favorite Disney+ stories with your favorite people from the comfort of your living room," Jerrell B Jimerson, SVP Product Management for Disney+, shared in a press release at the time.
The GroupWatch removal comes at a time when Disney+ is increasing prices across the board, partially in response to the streamer's introduction of a cheaper, ad-supported offering.
"The strong momentum of our ad-supported plans in the U.S. demonstrates the importance of providing consumers with choice, flexibility and value," Joe Earley, president of direct-to-consumer for Disney Entertainment, said in a statement last month. "We are excited to expand that offering in more markets across the globe, including in Europe and Canada, and to launch a new premium duo bundle of ad-free Disney+ and Hulu this fall, as we take steps toward making extensive Hulu content available via Disney+ later this year for bundle subscribers."
Disney+'s premium version jumped from $10.99/month to $13.99/month earlier this year while the ad-supported version stayed at $7.99/month. The price increases were reflective of those of Hulu, which went from $14.99 to $17.99 per month. Hulu also has an ad-supported version for $7.99/month, or subscribers can get a bundle with both services for $9.99 per month with ads.
