Snap Launches Snap Originals Taking Mobile Storytelling to the Next Level

Snap Inc. announces the launch of Snap Originals and the debut of serialized Shows, including its first formal slate of scripted Shows and docuseries. Building upon its successful vertical video content platform designed exclusively for mobile, Snap is moving mobile TV forward with series from some of the industry’s biggest names, including Bunim/Murray Productions, the Duplass Brothers’ DBP Donut and Brad Weston’s Makeready, as well as established film and television writers.

“Over the last two years, our highly engaged and loyal audience has helped to define what mobile content should look like -- vertical, hyper-visual and paced in a way that draws you in quickly and makes you want to return,” said Nick Bell, Snap’s Vice President of Content. “We’re proud to be working with some of the industry’s most talented storytellers to bring new and innovative Shows to our community and are thankful to be extending our partnerships with NBCUniversal and Viacom to create even more content for Snapchatters worldwide.”

Since the beginning of the year, Snap has nearly tripled the time viewers spend engaging with its Shows.

Snap Originals will be available on the Discover page to Snapchat users globally, or by searching for the title using Snapchat’s Search feature. Snap is also introducing new product features that will make it easier for viewers to discover, watch and interact with Originals and all Shows on Snapchat. Every Show will have a dedicated profile page where Snapchatters can easily find all available episodes and seasons to watch at once. Each episode averages five minutes in length and brands can purchase ‘Commercials’ within Shows, Snap's recently launched six-second, non-skippable ad format.

The initial launch slate includes:

Endless Summer - (Bunim/Murray Productions) - Influencers Summer McKeen and Dylan Jordan try to balance love, friends, family, and fame in this intimate snapshot of their lives in Laguna Beach, California. Docuseries launches 10/10.

Class of Lies - (Makeready) - Best friends slash college roommates Devon and Missy crack cold cases on their successful true-crime podcast…but can they solve the most important case of all when their best friend disappears without a trace? Scripted series launches 10/10.

Co-ed - (Duplass Brothers’ DBP Donut, Indigo Development and Entertainment Arts) - Juggling classes, parties, and down-the-hall crushes, freshman roommates Ginny and Chris try their best to face whatever college throws at them, discovering who they are along the way. Scripted series launches 10/10.

Vivian - (NBCU Digital Lab, The Intellectual Property Corporation in association with Wilhelmina) - Vivian is the youngest model scout at Wilhelmina, one of the most prestigious modeling agencies in the world. She takes us inside this exclusive world where she has the power to make wannabes’ dreams come true — but can she do that for her own? Docuseries launches 10/22.

The Dead Girls Detective Agency - (Indigo Development and Entertainment Arts, Insurrection and Keshet) - This darkly comedic supernatural soap follows Charlotte Feldman, a young woman who must work from beyond to figure out how and why she died, in order to avoid an eternity in purgatory. Based on the young adult novel by Susie Cox. Scripted series launches 10/22.

V/H/S - (Indigo Development and Entertainment Arts and Studio 71) - The next generation of the horror anthology series, bringing four new frightening experiences to the palm of your hand. Scripted series launches 10/28.

Six additional series have already been greenlit for production.

Snap has created portal Lenses for several of its shows, enabling users to swipe up from an episode of the Show and literally walk into a scene and interact with the objects and characters to deepen their experience. It has also developed custom interactive Lenses, including reaction Lenses for some of the shows’ most riveting scenes that will enable and encourage Snapchatters to share the show experience with their friends.

In addition, Snap also announced NBCUniversal extended its content production commitments through 2019, and Viacom has committed to creating 10 new Snap Originals. Viacom also committed to syndicating at least 500 episodes of its network’s shows to the Snapchat audience.