Snapchat Reveals New Slate of Originals, Content Partnerships

Disney, ESPN, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, the NBA and the NFL have expanded their commitments to deliver content for Snapchat’s Discover platform.

The multiyear deals include new shows and Snap Originals, mobile shows created exclusively for Snapchat’s audience, along with continued production of existing original franchises such as ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on Snapchat, NBC News’ “Stay Tuned,” E! News’ “The Rundown” and MTV’s “Teen Code.” The deals also include continued delivery of highlights for key news, entertainment and sports moments.

The company also unveiled a new slate of Snap Originals set to premiere over the next year that includes unscripted series, character-driven docuseries and scripted dramas and comedies. Certain shows will leverage Snap’s unique augmented reality technologies.

The slate includes the unscripted series Coach Kev (Laugh Out Loud), inspired by Kevin Hart’s own experiences, sharing daily doses of positivity and wisdom for anyone aspiring to live their best life; Fake Up (Mission Control Media), in which the top optical illusion make-up artists battle it out to transform their own faces into works of art you have to see to believe; and Move It (Stellar Studios and Little Engine Productions), bringing together the biggest dance influencers, chart-topping hits and Snapchat’s AR camera platform for a first-of-its-kind immersive dance show.

New docuseries include Road Trippin’ (Bunim/Murray Productions), executive produced by Anthony Anderson and featuring best friends and star creators Rickey Thompson and Denzel Dion as they head on a road trip across rural U.S.A. to get out of their comfort zone and share some crazy new adventures; First Person (Hashtag Our Stories), stories told with Snapchat Spectacles through the eyes of young innovators creating positive change, as they fight to protect our planet; Queen of Stylez (Glass Entertainment Group), turning the spotlight on hairstylist Tokyo Stylez; and Life By the Horns (21st Street Creative), following Ezekiel Mitchell, a 22-year-old destined to be a cowboy, on his life or death journey to become the best bull rider in the world and the first African-American to win the title in over 35 years.

Scripted projects include Frogtown (Alcon Television Group), directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Thirteen), about a badass skater living in her car lands a second family when she falls in with an all-girl crew at the Frogtown skatepark in East Los Angeles. Action Royale (Portal A) is a coming-of-age thriller in which a teenager starts an underground esports gambling ring to pay off his father’s debts, but he and his gaming phenom best friend soon find themselves in over their heads in a dangerous high-stakes world. Total Badass Wrestling (Comedy Bang! Bang! Productions) is a comedy about a naive but charismatic young wrestler who becomes an overnight viral sensation, inspiring a washed-up pro wrestler to offer his mentorship and use the hot new kid as his ticket back into the spotlight.

Snap is renewing the Originals Dead of Night, by Bazelevs in association with Hooked; Face Forward, by NBCUniversal featuring an all-new AR Lens experience that puts viewers in the episode for their own celebrity makeover; Nikita Unfiltered, by ITV America’s Sirens Media; and Complex will again produce the next installment of Snap’s documentary franchise Vs the World, which will tell the story of notorious MMA fighter Conor McGregor.