Snap Doubles Down On Docuseries, Unscripted Originals With New Shows From Kevin Hart, Loren Gray

Snapchat is doubling down on docuseries and unscripted originals, it revealed at its Advertising Week presentation.

The platform has now released more than 100 original shows, and says it currently has dozens of new series in development. So far in 2020, its shows have collectively reached 75% of the U.S.-based Gen Z population, and Snapchat as a whole has reached 90% of U.S.-based 13 to 24-year-olds, it added.

Snap also doled out viewership figures for recent notable programming: Will Smith’s quarantine-time talk show Will from Home brought more than 35 million unique viewers; YouTuber Nikita Dragun’s Nikita Unfiltered has drawn 22 million viewers since debuting in March; and YouTuber Summer McKeen’s Endless, which was Snapchat’s very first docuseries, has brought in 38 million viewers since season one premiered in 2018.

Originals, however, aren’t the only video content getting more play on Snapchat. The company said that the average amount of time Snapchatters spend watching videos on its Discover tab (which offers content from “trusted media parters”) has increased 35% year-over-year. More than 60 Discover shows reached monthly audiences of at least 10 million viewers in the first quarter of 2020, and several unspecified series have brought more than 100 million unique viewers this year alone, it said.

Snapchat now has more than 350 media partners making Discover content, and recently expanded deals with major outlets including Disney, ESPN, NBC, ViacomCBS, the NBA, and the NFL.

New originals to star Kevin Hart, Loren Gray

As for upcoming originals, Snapchat’s lineup through the beginning of 2021 consists entirely of new and renewed reality and unscripted series (though it says users can expect more scripted series in the future).

New series–with descriptions provided by Snapchat–include:

• Coach Kev (unscripted–Laugh Out Loud) premiering this Saturday, October 10
  Inspired by his own experiences, Kevin Hart will be your coach, best friend and mentor all rolled into one, as he shares daily doses of positivity and wisdom for anyone aspiring to live their best life.
• Honestly Loren (docuseries–ITV America / Sirens Media) premiering 2021
  One of the most popular social media superstars since the age of thirteen, Loren Gray is now questioning it all – from love, to friendship, to career – in the most honest and entertaining way in order to figure out what happiness really means to her.
• Life’s a Tripp (docuseries–Trooper Entertainment) premiering 2021
  After casting his first-ever vote in the most important election of our time, Trippie Redd is on a journey to experience firsthand the major issues gripping our country today, from drug addiction to police reform, with the help of fellow celebrity friends who have a personal stake just like the rest of us.
• Swae Meets World (docuseries–Big Fish Entertainment) premiering 2021
  At the epicenter of music and fashion, Swae Lee embarks on a fearless journey through triumph and tragedy as he prepares to launch his first solo album and embrace the most pivotal moment in his career.

Returning series include:

• While Black with MK Asante (S2) (unscripted–Main Event Media, an All3Media America company, and MK Asante Productions) Special voting episode airs at the end of October ahead of Election Day before the series returns this November
  In season two, we continue to explore what it means to be young and Black in America with host MK Asante, author, filmmaker and educator, who takes on racially charged social issues through disarmingly candid conversations.
• Colin Kaepernick VS the World (S3) (docuseries–COMPLEX) premiering 2021
  Season three of “VS The World” looks at the powerful journey of quarterback Colin Kaepernick as he took a knee, putting it all on the line, to make a statement against racial inequality and police brutality on the biggest stage in America.