Snapchat Enters The Streaming Scene With Snap Originals

Snapchat is in a bit of an iffy place right now. Its stock shares have fallen recently and it has had to put up with increased competition from Facebook and Instagram. In order to entice users back to using their service, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., has decided to enter the realm of streaming entertainment.

This new service, Snap Originals, will feature a variety of scripted streaming shows hosted on Snapchat. These shows will have new episodes added daily, though they will also include commercials to allow Snap Inc. to monetize them. Snap Inc. has been working with multiple Hollywood producers and writers for these shows, including Bunim-Murray, creators of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and “Friday Night Lights” writer Carter Harris.

There are currently 12 shows lined up for Snap Originals’ premiere, with standouts including “Growing Up is a Drag,” a coming-of-age drama about teenage drag queens, and “The Dead Girls Detective Agency,” a dark comedy supernatural soap. Shows have already begun launching, and will continue to for an unspecified period.