Snapchat unveils their new Discover feature

Snapchat unveils their new Discover feature

Snapchat expands app with their new Discover feature.

Snapchat has finally unveiled their new Discover feature.

The new Discover feature will be a section of the app dedicated to over a dozen publishers such as ESPN, Comedy Central, National Geographic, CNN, Cosmopolitan, and the Food Network. In keeping with Snapchat’s quick view structure, Discover will be refreshed every 24 hours with each “edition” including videos, full screen photos, articles, and advertising.

Snapchat is reported to have over 100 million users monthly, which is an enticing number to the companies who will begin publishing their channels on Tuesday. This large number of users will allow the publishers to reach their audience on yet another social media platform.

“We’re always seeking out new audiences and advertisers,” Senior Vice President of CNN Digital, Andrew Morse, states.

Snapchat intends to use the new element of their app to prove that, like Facebook and Twitter, they too can make money through their social media communications platform. Even though Snapchat is over three years old it has yet to return a substantial amount of money, but clearly the social media, entertainment, and news industries see it as a significant voice. Facebook has offered to buy Snapchat for $3 billion in the past, but the offer was turned down after the social media app was valued at $10 billion. Snapchat will get a share of any revenues generated to help validate the companies valuation.

Discover will feature hand-picked articles, photos and videos geared towards Snapchat’s younger base. Snapchat unveils their new Discover feature accompanied by this statement: “Social media companies tell us what to read. We see it differently.” Snapchat intends to allow editors and artists to determine the content on Discover, as opposed to what is being clicked on, what is trending, or what is shared the most. After entering Discover, users will be able to open a channel’s edition and swipe left to browse through current snaps, or swipe up to expand the content.

Companies are very excited with the new possibilities Discover brings and intend to use the feature in a variety of ways. ESPN will focus on Top 10 clips as well as stats sheets from different leagues. Comedy Central’s channel will offer quick teasers from some of their most popular shows. Food Network will highlight attractive dishes allowing the user to swipe up to view the recipe. CNN will feature five news stories a day selected by their editors and producers. The Discover feature will also run full screen video ads from big name brands such as BMW. These ads will run alongside Discover’s other content and is where a large portion of expected earnings will be created.

Discover is the latest in Snapchat’s attempts to increase its revenue and diversify its relevance. In November of 2014, Snapchat introduced Snapcash, a feature of their app which allows users to connect a debit card to their account and send money to other users free of charge.

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