Watch Together Apps: Host a Remote Movie Night

Your friends live in three different cities. You still want movie night. These apps sync a video across everyone's screens so you press play once and stay together — with chat or video alongside. Here is how the main options work and which one to pick.

Teleparty: the classic browser extension

Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) is a free extension for Chrome and Edge. How it works: everyone installs the extension, one person opens a video on Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, or Hulu and clicks the Teleparty button to create a party link. Share the link, everyone joins, and playback stays in sync — pause for one person pauses for all. A text chat sidebar runs alongside the video.

The rules are simple: each viewer needs their own subscription to whatever service you are watching on, and everyone needs the extension installed. Setup takes about two minutes the first time and seconds after that. Best for: groups who already share the same streaming subscriptions and want the simplest possible sync.

Discord: the no-install option

If your group already uses Discord, skip the extensions. Start a voice channel, click screen share (or Go Live), and play the video on your screen — everyone in the channel watches together. It runs in the browser, on desktop, and on phones, so nobody installs anything new.

Voice chat is built in, which makes it feel like sitting on the same couch talking over the movie. Video quality is fine for casual viewing. Best for: friend groups already on Discord, and mixed groups where you cannot ask everyone to install something.

Kast: watch parties with faces

Kast is built around the social side of watching together: the shared screen sits next to video chat, so you see everyone's reactions. It has desktop and mobile apps. Best for: groups who want the hangout as much as the movie — birthdays, reunions, long-distance couples.

Scener: the virtual cinema

Scener syncs playback across major streaming services with video chat built in, and it hosts public watch parties you can drop into. The interface is designed to feel like going to the movies together. Best for: film fans who want the full social experience, or anyone who wants to join a scheduled public screening.

Setting up Teleparty, step by step

Everyone installs the Teleparty extension from the Chrome Web Store (it works in Edge too). One person opens the video — a YouTube documentary, a Netflix film — and clicks the Teleparty icon in the toolbar, then "Start the party." Copy the generated link and send it to the group. Everyone who clicks it joins the synced session. From then on, play, pause, and seek stay locked together for the whole group, and the chat sidebar handles reactions. When the movie ends, anyone can leave; the party dissolves on its own.

Bandwidth and quality

Sync apps do not stream the video themselves — each person streams from their own subscription — so your connection only needs to handle your own stream plus a little chat data. If one person's video stutters while everyone else is fine, the fix is on their end: drop the playback quality a notch, close other tabs, or plug in an ethernet cable. The host's connection matters most on Discord screen share, since the host is the one broadcasting.

Which one should you pick?

• Everyone has Netflix and a laptop: Teleparty — simplest sync, no fuss.
• Group already chats on Discord: Discord screen share — zero new installs.
• You want to see faces: Kast or Scener.
• Someone is on a phone: avoid Teleparty (desktop only); Discord, Kast, and Scener handle mobile.

Tips for a smooth night

Send the party link 15 minutes early and do a quick audio check. The host should use a wired connection if possible — one person's buffering pauses everyone. Agree on chat vs. voice before the movie starts, and pick the film by vote earlier in the day so you are not scrolling menus for 40 minutes. Mind time zones; a shared calendar invite beats a group-chat scramble.

Watch parties pair well with good material — our documentary guide has free, legal picks worth watching together, and our educational video rundown is great if your group wants a learning night instead. The homepage ties it all together.