Peacock ‘Watch With’ Feature Adds Split-Screen Interactivity

Peacock is adding a new “Watch With” feature that lets fans watch special episodes with their favorite personalities, including live commentary, real-time reactions and live Q&A it says will be unfiltered. Watch With debuts with “Bel-Air” stars Jabari Banks and Olly Sholotan on February 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET, immediately following the show’s Season 2 premiere. Peacock will also add the feature to the live song contest “Eurovision” with host Johnny Weir and “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” with stars Candiace Dillard Bassett and Marysol Patton, with more to come.

Peacock says Watch With “empowers marketers to take fans behind the scenes of their favorite content and engage with the stars, directors and creators that bring the storytelling to life.” The events will be presented in a split-screen view with real-time interaction.

“As the premiere episode plays on one side, there will be a video overlay of Banks and Sholotan reacting to scenes, providing commentary and answering questions. There will also be a viewer count of how many fans are watching,” writes TechCrunch.

“The event will also keep pulse on all live social chatter, bringing buzzworthy moments and questions up to the talent in real time via the #WatchWithPeacock hashtag,” TVNewsCheck reports.

Watch With debuted as a beta test last year. “After exceeding our viewership forecasts, we’re highly encouraged by the first test of ‘Watch With’ as a way to super-serve fans with a live communal viewing experience,” John Jelley, NBCUniversal SVP product & UX for Peacock and D2C said on TVNewsCheck, indicating the service plans to continue “experimenting with in-product innovations that enhance the streaming experience and break into the cultural zeitgeist.”

Another interactive feature, “Choose Your Reality,” which offers viewers storytelling options, including ways to delve deeper into certain scenes, will launch first on Roku devices with Season 3 of “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip,” TV Technology reports.

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