Snap is partnering with Disney-ABC Television Group (DATG) on a slate of original programming for visual messaging app Snapchat.
The first of these original shows is an offshoot of ABC’s long-running reality show The Bachelor. The episodic series, dubbed Watch Party: The Bachelor, will broadcast via its very own Snapchat Discover channel.
The Snapchat original will air on January 3, the morning after the premiere of the 21st season of The Bachelor. The show will see celebrities, comedians, fans, and former bachelors and bachelorettes come together to share their reactions on the new season. Watch Party: The Bachelor will consist of 10 episodes, each three to five minutes long, and a Live Story, which will be available for 24 hours on Snapchat.
“We look forward to … providing Snapchat’s mobile-centric users with a unique, immersive experience around our shows and brands,” said John Frelinghuysen, EVP digital media, strategy and business development, DATG.
Whereas Discover (the media section of the Snapchat app) has generally been home to third-party digital publishers — such as the Daily Mail, BuzzFeed, and Cosmopolitan — Snap has been ramping up its original video content of late. Having inked deals with broadcasters NBC and Turner, its latest partnership with DATG includes several more as-yet-undisclosed shows. The Snap deal will also allow Disney to sell advertising packages that incorporate Snapchat’s full-screen video ads.
A subsidiary of Disney Media Networks, DATG’S brands include the ABC Television Group, the Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Free Form.
In October, Disney CEO Bob Iger made it clear that his company was searching for new distribution channels, with an emphasis on mobile video. Iger even spoke about the “disaggregation” of once popular shows, such as ESPN’s SportsCenter, due to mobile technology. It turns out Snapchat was on those channels Disney was keen to tap into, and its strategy (like NBC and Turner before it) could well be to split up, or spin off, productions relating to its current crop of TV shows.
