Disney is bringing TV to Snapchat.
Disney $DIS is bringing TV to Snapchat.
The media conglomerate, which owns TV networks including ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel, and Freeform, announced a deal yesterday to produce several original series for the millennial-centric media app. The first will be a spin-off of the reality romance The Bachelor.
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Disney has not said whether the other shows, due in 2017, will be pegged to existing TV shows as well, or whether they will be standalone scripted and non-scripted series.
The Bachelor has an intense legion of fans that Disney and Snapchat can draw on; it even has its own fantasy league. The spinoff will be an after-show following super-fans, featuring clips from the reality TV series, as they react to events on the show. Each episode of Watch Party: The Bachelor will debut on Snapchat’s Discover $DFS section the Tuesday morning after The Bachelor airs on TV in the US. But, of course, these are snaps—they only “live” on the app for 24 hours.
The first will premiere on Jan. 3, the morning after the TV season premiere. And the series will include one Live Story, a feature that curates photos and videos submitted by users around a specific place or event.
Disney previously used Live Stories in February to share updates from the Academy Awards, which is also broadcasted by ABC. Snapchat has dabbled with originals before, working with companies like AT&T $T and Viacom’s Comedy Central.
But one major difference between those deals and this one is that Disney will develop and sell its own advertising for the content, like it does with its TV networks. The ad sales responsibilities are split between the two companies, Reuters reported.
