App Review
By: Nick Gambino
These days it’s all about original content. Netflix, Amazon and even Apple have gotten in on the original programming game. Now it’s Snapchat’s turn.
As reported by Variety, NBCUniversal has signed a deal with Snapchat to bring original TV content directly to the popular social media app.
Shows include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, The Voice and others. Now, these aren’t going to be shortened versions of the content that appears on NBC but rather it’ll be all new short content made specifically and exclusively for Snapchat.
We’ll see the first mini episode of The Voice on Monday, August 22nd. This series of The Voice will be five episodes long and will feature the stars of the popular singing show, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys.
The show has invited users to submit performance videos to voicesnaps.com starting this coming Monday. The videos will then be viewed by the show’s celebrity coaches with a chance to appear on the full version of the show in September.
In other words, they’re trying to get us excited about their original content. I’ll admit, it’s working. Time to loosen up these pipes for my Hip Hop rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.
The next planned Snapchat show is a truly original show presented by E! News, The Rundown. That will premiere on September 8th hosted by Erin Lim and will concentrate on pop culture news.
NBCUniversal’s VP of Business Development and Digital Distribution, Ron Lamprecht said, “NBCUniversal is committed to tapping into its talent, resources and reach to be the leader in delivering mobile-first premium content. From entertainment to news and sports, NBCUniversal has an unparalleled lineup and Snapchat is the perfect partner to help us reach millions of fans where they are every day.”
NBC and Snapchat have already been working together on a dedicated 2016 Rio Olympics channel which features BuzzFeed-produced content. That of course makes sense seeing as though the mega media giant invested $200 million in BuzzFeed earlier this year.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is the future of TV programming but it’s a damn good idea to bring mobile-exclusive content of popular shows to app users.
What are your thoughts on Snapchat original content and their deal with NBCUniversal? Let us know in the comments! Be sure to follow @NewsWatchTV on Snapchat.
