New aspects of communal viewing: Subscription based video-on-demand platforms and watchparties

The main purpose of this research is to examine the viewing experience of users who consume Netflix original contents at online watchparties, through the Teleparty extension, and to shed light on the characteristics of this new type of viewing experience and its similarities and differences with communal viewing in a movie theatre or in front of a television set. Within the scope of this research; digital ethnographic observation and focus group interviews were preferred from qualitative data collection methods, with a sample composed of 29 participants. In line with findings, it should be noted that online watch parties as a new aspect of communal viewing leaves the door open for limited interactive, attentive, controlled viewing experiences as well as fragmented and binge-watching behavior, depending on the type of content preferred by the users, the level of intimacy with other participants, the number of participants and the interface features of the Teleparty extension.