Mumbai: As the 13th edition of the most celebrated cricket phenomenon Dream11 IPL 2020 nears its finale, Disney+ Hotstar VIP has announced yet another global-first innovation to provide users with a unique social watching experience – #WatchWithYaars. While social distancing norms have disrupted the way LIVE sports are enjoyed, the streaming platform has introduced the ‘Watch with your friends’ feature that allows users to video chat with their friends while watching the LIVE Stream of the match all on a single screen. Starting with Dream11 IPL 2020 Playoffs, for the first time in the world, people will be able to enjoy the thrill of LIVE sporting action face-to-face with their friends and family irrespective of their location!
Earlier in the season, Disney+ Hotstar VIP had added a host of new features to its interactive Watch N’ Play social feed that helped bring together a nationwide virtual community of cricket lovers to the platform. Fans were able to bring home a stadium-like experience by sharing selfies using Hotshots and quirky videos using Duets. Now with ‘Watch with your friends’ users get an added advantage of sharing excitement and cheer of the match with their friends real-time. Users simply need to click ‘start video call’ feature under the LIVE match stream and add up to 5 friends in portrait mode with an option of listening to the sports commentary over their conversation and control the volume of each to customize their experience. In case of low connectivity, one can also choose to be part of the conversation using ‘audio only’ option. Additionally, for no-spoilers – video synchronisation among participants will ensure that the stream doesn’t lag, so everyone watches the exact same feed of the same match, across networks.
Sunil Rayan, President &Head – Disney+ Hotstar said, “We understand that real magic of cricket comes alive in the company of family and friends; something that is difficult in these times of social distancing. Our product team took on this challenge – to provide users with a unique social-viewing experience, whilst ensuring the cricket watching experience remains seamless. ‘Watch with your friends’ is an exciting new concept that replicates offline behaviour virtually, and will forever change the way fans experience cricket.”
Starting with Dream11 IPL 2020 Playoff matches, all existing and new subscribers will be able to seamlessly enjoy the benefits of ‘Watch with your friends’
Catch all the LIVE sporting action of Dream11 IPL 2020 in the company of your friends and family only on Disney+ Hotstar VIP
