Hulu is extending its Watch Party functionality – a feature designed for shared social viewing – to its live broadcast of election news, delivered through its collaboration with ABC News Live. The company revealed today that its on-demand subscribers will be able to utilize Watch Party while viewing ABC’s “Election 2020” coverage directly on the Hulu.com platform. This new co-viewing capability enables Hulu users to converse and share reactions to the content they are watching through a chat interface accommodating up to eight participants per session.

Hulu notes that this marks the initial activation of Watch Party for a live event.

The Watch Party feature was originally introduced in May as a means for Hulu’s subscribers who opted for the “No Ads” plan to engage in conversation with each other within the Hulu application while simultaneously watching programs. Upon its debut, Hulu made a substantial selection of films and television series available for this shared viewing experience from its on-demand streaming catalog.

This type of communal viewing gained prominence during the coronavirus pandemic, as individuals and families practiced staying at home, observing quarantine guidelines, and maintaining social distance. Currently, numerous co-viewing services are compatible with various streaming platforms, including Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime Video, among others. However, only a select few provide integrated experiences, similar to the one offered by Hulu.

Watch Party allows users to participate in a group chat displayed in a sidebar to the right of the video stream while their chosen program plays. The feature also empowers users to manage the playback of the on-demand video on their individual devices without disrupting the viewing experience for the group, and then easily resynchronize with the group later. This functionality will also be available for those watching the livestream.

In September, Hulu broadened access to Watch Party to include its ad-supported users and even experimented with a tailored experience for viewers of its original series, “Pen15.”

However, access to Watch Party for the Election 2020 coverage will be limited to on-demand subscribers.

Hulu established a partnership with ABC News Live in March as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The intention was to guarantee that its on-demand customers who had cut the cord had continuous access to live news coverage, 24 hours a day, even without subscribing to the more comprehensive Hulu with Live TV package. The company reports that approximately 50% of its ad-supported viewers are either cord cutters or “cord nevers” – individuals who have never subscribed to traditional cable or satellite television.

The company announced earlier this month that it would also provide live election coverage to these viewers through its ongoing partnership with ABC News Live.