MGM is teaming up with Snapchat parent Snap Inc. to develop “Shows” — or as the disappearing messaging-turned-camera company calls them, “TV-like mobile video content” — for its Discover platform.
Snapchat Shows are original, 4-5 minute, scripted or unscripted stand-alone programs shot vertically with Snapchat’s preferred orientation in mind. They include both old and new IP and cover a variety of genres, from documentaries to reality TV to dramas.
Snap has agreed on content deals with NBC, ESPN, the NFL, Turner, ABC, the BBC, A+E Networks and Discovery Networks in recent months, all of whom are either already producing Shows or developing them. The MGM deal is Snap’s first with a full-fledged studio.
“The team at Snap is thinking about mobile TV differently than anyone else in this space,” Barry Poznick, MGM’s president of unscripted television, said in a statement. “They are innovators, and it presents us with a unique opportunity to flex our development and production muscle in a whole new way. We are excited to create content for their vast and hard to reach audience that consumes entertainment in a very specific fashion.”
“MGM has an incredible pool of talent — from producers and directors to writers — that we’re excited to tap into as we join forces to develop Shows,” Nick Bell, Snap Inc.’s vice president of content, said in the statement. “Partnering with a studio of their caliber opens up a lot of possibilities for the future of Shows on Snapchat.”