Disney+ Subscribers Mad Groupwatch Got Canceled. Why You Should Care Too
Disney+ just removed a feature and even if you never used it, it's still important.
It has to be said that the world of streaming is never boring. As media companies continue to put more focus on their streaming platforms things are always changing as they continue to find better ways to present themselves to customers. But while that sometimes means adding something new, it occasionally means removing features that used to exist, and Disney Plus has now angered many after removing the Groupwatch option, which has happened a month before Disney+ becomes more expensive.
Groupwatch let multiple Disney+ users watch the same show or movie in synch, allowing them to communicate via emojis and otherwise enjoy each other's company while watching something as if they were in the same room. Unfortunately, after only about three years, the Groupwatch feature has been removed, without so much as a mention from Disney. People are quite surprised.
To call Groupwatch a “popular” feature probably wouldn’t be accurate. More than likely, the reason for its removal is that not enough people were taking advantage of it to make it worth the upkeep. But what is clear from looking at social media is that the people who were using it absolutely loved it, and they’re quite upset it’s gone.
Groupwatch was created during the global pandemic, Netflix made a similar shared viewing experience, when watching Disney+ shows with friends was certainly more difficult. Several streaming Perhaps its use has dropped as people have been able to meet in person to watch shows together. Maybe it was only ever seen by Disney as a “pandemic service” and thus it has run its course. Still, you would expect some sort of announcement to let people know the option was going away, but instead, people are finding out about the change only when they try to use it.
And even if you’re not somebody who used Groupwatch, if you’re somebody who has a Disney Plus subscription, then it's worth being at least a little bit irritated about the whole thing. This is just the latest thing that used to be part of the streaming service that now isn’t. It follows a collection of Disney+ original shows that have been pulled from the service, that now can’t be watched legally by anybody.
And considering that Disney+ is getting a price increase next month, it’s more than a little frustrating that we’ll all be paying more for a service that is offering us less now than it was several months ago. I don't mind paying more for a product or service if I get more for it, but paying more and getting less.
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CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis. Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.