‘BBC Together’ Service Lets UK Users Enjoy BBC Content With Others Remotely

The BBC has launched a new experimental online service that lets users watch or listen to BBC programs, prodcasts, and radio with others over the internet at the same time.

Called BBC Together, the online tool is available on Taster, the BBC’s experimental platform, which can be accessed via any web browser. The way it works is that one user finds the link of a program or video clip they want to watch with others – from BBC iPlayer, Sounds or Bitesize, BBC News and Sport websites – and then they paste it into the BBC Together service.

This creates a new group session, which can be shared via a link with friends or family. Each link can currently be watched by up to 50 participants, and the host user can pause, rewind, and fast-forward the content, or choose a new program for everyone to watch at once.

If the idea sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of Netflix Party, an extension for Google’s Chrome web browser that lets users watch Netflix films and TV shows simultaneously. The service has seen a boost in numbers since the stay-at-home measures came into effect, so BBC Together could also prove a hit, although the Beeb says it’s still just a test run for now.