disclosed is a method whereby content - consumption information is gathered from members of a group . based on the gathered information , a shared social program guide is created and presented to the member of the group . group members interact with the shared social program guide to recommend and eventually to select content to consume . the selected content is then rendered to the content - consumption devices of the group members . the rendering is done in a coordinated fashion . to enhance social interaction , the shared social program guide can tell a viewer which other group members are currently available for consuming content . a communication channel can be set up among the group members to coordinate their choices or to allow them to discuss the content being viewed . in some embodiments , the shared social program guide accepts commands that alter the rendering of the chosen content . the altered rendering is coordinated among the viewers .