Snapchat is reportedly seeking to take its illustrious Discover section — which features content from a slew of top-tier publishers including CNN, Refinery 29, and Tastemade — in a slightly different direction. Digiday reports that the company is currently in talks with major television networks and Hollywood movie studios about bringing more premium video programming into Discover.
Snapchat’s vice president of content, Nick Bell, is spearheading the discussions, according to Digiday, as the company seeks to “evolve [Discover] from its roots as a publishing destination…into more of a premium video destination.” It is unknown which networks Snapchat is negotiating with. While current publishers on Snapchat Discover are creating short-form videos as well as articles and images, future programming could include full-fledged original scripted shows.
When Snapchat launched Discover in early 2015, it had its own in-house channel where it produced scripted content, but the company subsequently shuttered the effort in October 2015. Earlier this year, Snapchat launched Good Luck America, a political news destination within Discover that represents the company’s first stab at political news coverage. Snapchat is reportedly using Good Luck America “as an example of what the networks could do with shows there,” according to Digiday.
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Potential partners will have to provide assurance to Snapchat that they can sell a certain number of ads, according to Digiday, and, for its part, the company will guarantee millions of eyeballs — namely the 100 million daily users that Snapchat says watch 10 billion videos every day. This is how ad sales currently work on the Discover page — which recently underwent a substantial makeover of sorts.
In addition to more premium video programming, Discover may also be looking to beef up its sports offerings. The National Football League (NFL) is reportedly hiring a managing editor for a forthcoming Discover channel, according to a recent job posting — meaning that a self-standing NFL Discover outlet is likely forthcoming.
