Disney is now making Apple’s SharePlay co-viewing experience for FaceTime available to users of its ESPN app, just a few months after making it available to Disney+ customers.
With the latest update to the Disney+ app, members may now access the SharePlay feature on Apple’s iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS devices. The functionality works throughout the entire Disney+ library, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic films.
Now, ESPN subscribers with the latest iOS, iPadOS, or tvOS 15.1 updates can stream select live sports, ESPN+ Originals, and more with friends and family on FaceTime.
Last year, when Apple announced SharePlay, they described it as a powerful collection of capabilities for sharing experiences while on a FaceTime chat.
Users can watch movies and TV shows, listen to music, or finish a workout with friends on a FaceTime chat thanks to SharePlay support in Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Fitness+ — as well as many of the most popular applications, including NBA, TikTok, Twitch, Paramount+, and SHOWTIME.
SharePlay is now available for Apple TV, allowing users to watch on the big screen while FaceTiming on their iPhone or iPad. Users may also browse the web together, look at images, or show their friends something in a favorite app with the screen sharing functionality.
“By adding SharePlay support to the ESPN app, we are bringing a live sports co-viewing experience to fans for the first time,” Brian Marshall, vice president of Sports Products & Strategy at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said in a statement about the launch. “We are thrilled to provide a unique opportunity for friends and family to come together to root for some of their favorite teams and players, no matter the distance between them.”
The upgrade is being done in phases, but Disney anticipates that all ESPN app users will have access to the function by the end of the week.