Now You Can Watch “Mini TV Shows” on Snapchat

I’ve had my reservations about Snapchat in the past, but it looks like the platform that started off as a way to send nude pictures has outgrown Twitter. While the latter seems pretty sluggish when it comes to changes (still waiting on that edit function for tweets), Snapchat has been switching things up from those darn cutesy filters that let you send videos of you puking rainbows to adding a Discovery feature which now boasts content from major media companies like People and BuzzFeed, or even selling movie tickets right inside the app. Publishers have shown they’re not afraid of change, and now they’re gaining some interesting new content thanks to a major television network.

NBC announced that they’re stepping up their mobile streaming game with content from favorites like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live. This won’t be just a reshashing of stuff that’s already aired. The network plans to include new, original content shot specifically for the platform.

Here’s an example from TechCrunch about a five-part series heading to Snapchat on Aug. 22:

“The Voice on Snapchat” will include judges Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton and will showcase user-submitted performance videos which prospective talent can submit via voicesnaps.com. The coaches will review the clips and a winner will have the opportunity to appear on the show’s new season, beginning September 19. This will be the first-ever reality competition to expand to Snapchat, NBCUniversal notes.

E! News will also add some “exclusive content” available only on the social network via their pop culture news show The Rundown, which basically sounds like a repackaging of the news show already airing on TV.

Still, it will be interesting to see how this holds up against other companies with original mobile programming like Verizon’s Go90, and how that will end up changing TV in the future.  If you’re on the same page as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, broadcast TV will die out by 2030.

(via TechCrunch, image via Flickr)

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