Snapchat has brought another TV partner into its mobile-app lineup, in a deal with A+E Networks‘ in-house digital agency 45th & Dean to develop short-form shows for Snapchat’s Discover platform.
The first show from 45th & Dean under the pact will be an original series for Snapchat called “Second Chance” — featuring couples hashing out relationship-threatening issues — set to premiere in April. It’s the first unscripted show a network has produced for Snapchat that isn’t based on an existing TV property.
Snapchat has announced a spurt of media deals since parent company Snap officially filed for an initial public offering last week that reportedly will value it at up to $25 billion. The new partnerships with A+E, BBC Worldwide, the New York Times and Time Inc. seem aimed at making the case to investors that the social-media player has real mojo in the space — and healthy revenue upside.
In the IPO filing, Snap said it paid content partners $58 million under ad-revenue sharing agreements last year, versus $9.6 million in 2015.
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45th & Dean’s “Second Chance” will bring emotional exes face-to-face to explore the breaking point in their relationship for the first time and look for reconciliation. The series will comprise eight weekly episodes, available for Snapchat users in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Australia.
45th & Dean, which A+E formed last year, is opening a studio in Brooklyn this spring, where it will produce shows for Snapchat as well as branded content and “experiential marketing” programs for clients.
Future shows for Snapchat may be based on shows and talent from A+E Networks’ portfolio, which includes A&E, Lifetime, History and FYI. Several other series for the social platform are already in development, according to Paul Greenberg, executive VP and GM of 45th & Dean and FYI at A+E Networks
“Snapchat is a powerful brand, one which knows how to reach new audiences by pushing the limits and expanding the boundaries of creativity,” Greenberg said.
Snap VP of content Nick Bell added, in an emailed statement, “A+E’s investment in mobile storytelling is exactly what Snapchat Shows are all about: The ability to create premium and wholly original content for a mobile-first audience from some of the best storytellers in the world.”
To date, shows produced for Snapchat have included offshoots for ABC’s “The Bachelor,” NBC’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “The Voice,” as well as E!’s “The Rundown” and ESPN’s “Game Day.” BBC’s “Planet Earth II” will debut on Snapchat Feb. 17.
Snap also is working with NBC, Turner and ABC to develop additional shows, including both scripted and unscripted series, and the company says it has more media partners in the pipeline.
