Snapchat will possibly implement a subscription-based feature that allows users to stay updated with their favorite Discover channels in the future, shooting up the potential traffic that publishers on the platform can gain.
These media partners consist of Vox, Vice, People, CNN and Comedy Central, to name a few, where the company has told them that the daily 100 million active users of the app will soon be able to subscribe to them and get the latest news the moment they make a post via push notification.
The news comes from Re/code, and according to the report, industry sources say that Snapchat is also going to change the publishers' circular logos on the platform. If this pans out, they will become "magazine-like" icons that'll get a new cover based on a channel's content daily.
As of right now, users can swipe left once to get to the Stories section, which features a dedicated Discover panel at the top. Two swipes in that direction will get them to the complete Discover page, where all the publishers are listed.
When this update rolls out, users will see the content of the brands they subscribed to on the Stories page, making things one swipe easier for viewers to get ahold of the content they want.
The specifics for these subscriptions or "follows" haven't been cleared up yet, though. At any rate, this development could be considered as the company's response to the declining popularity of Discover, which did exceptionally well in driving traffic when it started.
Snapchat currently has more than 20 media partners. With the support that it's giving to such channels, that number could grow quickly anytime soon.
CEO and co-founder of Snapchat Evan Spiegel reportedly told publishers that this update will get off the ground sometime in May. However, that's not a release date set in stone, as it could change without prior notice.
It appears that Snapchat is getting ready to accommodate more media brands and become packed with news content. On the heels of the personalized URL update, this move will make the app a lot friendlier for publishers that want to be prominent on the platform and users.
