- The “Watch Together” feature will allow a user to add up to eight people through a video call;
- Facebook joins a crowded field of companies rushing to dominate the stay-at-home market.
Facebook said that its users will now be able to watch videos with their friends online using the social media company’s Messenger app, enabling them to see reactions in real time.
The “Watch Together” feature will allow a user to add up to eight people through a video call and up to 50 people through its videoconferencing tool Messenger Rooms.
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The company launched the tool in July as it looks to take on Zoom Video that became a household name driven by the coronavirus-driven boom in demand for its platform.
Facebook joins a crowded field of companies rushing to dominate the stay-at-home market as millions of people turn to online platforms to stay connected for work, social life and school amid health concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Netflix also has a similar feature called “Netflix Party” that allows multiple users to join in and watch a film on the same screen. It is another big tech putting efforts on video tools, as Alphabet‘s YouTube is rolling out its version of social media rival TikTok, a new short-form video service called Shorts, enabled within its video-sharing platform.
