Snapchat Expected to Move into Scripted Content By the End of This Year

Original content is a hot trend among social media platforms, and Snapchat is looking to dive deeper into the game with the introduction of scripted content, which, according to Snapchat’s head of content Nick Bell, should debut by year’s end. Bell made the announcement at the Edinburgh International Television Festival where he also swatted notions that Snapchat is hurting traditional broadcasters, Variety reported.
“Mobile is the most complementary thing to TV that has been around,” Bell said, adding that Snapchat was not a “TV killer.” “We’re really capturing the audience who are not probably consuming TV at the same rate and pace of engagement that they once were.”
The Snapchat Show offshoot to “The Voice” helped boost the NBC program’s viewer numbers, as did its companion show to ABC’s “The Bachelor,” Bell said. He explained that his goal was to turn the the phone into “the remote control for your TV consumption.”
At present, the company is relying on its partners to finance video content rather than commissioning on its own, according to Bell, who without releasing figures said several of the current shows were profitable.
Recently, the company has formed a number of deals with established entertainment players, including partnerships with TV networks NBC, ABC, the BBC, Vice Media, and a $100-million agreement announced in June with Time Warner, which has agreed to produce up to 10 new shows for the platform.
