How to start a Hulu watch party in 5 easy steps

Hulu has officially rolled out its Watch Party feature for all Hulu and Hulu (No Ads) subscribers, letting you watch thousands of shows and movies on the streaming service with up to eight other people at the same time. The feature -- which Hulu has been testing since May --  also lets you chat with your fellow watchers, giving subscribers another way to connect virtually over the holidays, according to a release. 

Hulu's Watch Party feature follows similar ones released earlier this year from Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video, along with third-party extensions like Teleparty (formerly called Netflix Party), which have gained traction during coronavirus quarantines. To use the feature, everyone in the party must have a Hulu subscription (and be over 18 years old). 

Read more: Hulu ads vs. no ads plan: Should you pay extra to nix commercials?

Here's how to use Hulu's Watch Party feature with your friends:

• Open Hulu.com and sign into your Hulu account.
• Find a show or movie available with Watch Party. You can do this by clicking the three dots next to each title, and clicking Details. If it's available for Watch Party, you'll see an icon that looks like three people, which says Watch Party when you hover over it.
• Click the Watch Party icon on the Details page.
• Click Start the Party.
• To invite others, select the chain icon to copy the link, then send it to up to seven other participants so they can join in. To join a watch party, just click the invitation link. 

For more, check out the best shows and movies to watch on Hulu, and tips for using Hulu. 

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