Five years ago it was strange to see TV (a form of entertainment built for at-home consumption) rally people to congregate outside of their homes. Special programming like heavy weight boxing title matches, the Super Bowl and the Oscars could encourage viewers to establish a shared viewing experience, but regular shows rarely commanded the same effort. Today, bar-hosted TV screening parties are as common as beer. In an effort to build on the shared viewing experience, popular HD television site Hulu is expanding beyond its walls. The company launched its Watch Now Facebook App where audiences can watch season premieres and comment in a group setting.
Watch Now is very similar in design to the White House Live Facebook App. While the White House’s app allows users to debate alongside a live stream of Obama’s speeches, the Hulu app offers users a more lighthearted experience by building dialogue on the latest shows. From here, fans share their favorite clips through Facebook messages and profile updates. They can also return to their bookmarked programs as the season progresses.
One of the most interesting features of the Facebook app is the fact that show fans can attend online screening events. Individual shows are listed as Facebook events and users add themselves as guests in order to receive show screening reminders and share links and info. Hulu’s first premiere event is for the Fall premiere of Heroes on Tuesday September 22. A complete list of the premieres is available in the Watch Now App.
Earlier in the week, ReadWriteWeb covered Rupert Murdoch’s hints that Hulu is experimenting with a subscription service. With the new Facebook app, it will be interesting to see if the company can continue to build momentum beyond its free service.
