Snapchat has ended its 10-month programme to curate its own original content, with Snap Channel no more.
Set up at the start of the year, Snap Channel was supposed to be Snapchat’s way of bridging the gap between the entertainment industry and the social media industry.
Creating content by Snapchat, for Snap Channel, simply cost the company too much resources, both money and time, with the team behind the now failed programme likely to be let go.
Deadline reports that, after Snap Channel was pulled from Snapchat’s ad-supporting Discover tab, it was thought that a new, improved version was in the offing.
But, after costings were gone through, “the plan has been scrapped” with a revision of how the company can contribute original programming now underway.
Uncomfortably, for the company, the Snap Channel programming team had just begun leasing new office space, which Deadline reports will now be absorbed into the wider business.
“The Snapchat development team had been in the midst of talks with major studios and production companies on multiple shows when the shutdown news came yesterday, catching all by surprise,” reported Nellie Andreeva.
“Many of the 15 members on the team will be laid off; a few junior execs might be reassigned within the company.”
For now, Discover partners will be the sole providers of original content on Snapchat.
The company has gone through a few changes recently, posting 4m video views a while ago that could, depending on how you measure it, constitute it rivalling the likes of Facebook.
Its Discover platform has been invested in, too, with the company working hard to monetise its whole operation.
Main image via Shutterstock
