Snapchat believes in the power of artists and editors to dish out the most important news to feeds and is rolling out a new content channel, called Discover, to make it happen.
Discover, which will provide content channels created by media partners, will focus on the narrative and enable creators to structure stories that have defined beginnings, middles and ending points, Snapchat says.
In typical Snapchat fashion, news stories only last 24 hours before they are gone forever from news feeds.
"Every edition is refreshed after 24 hours, because what's news today is history tomorrow," says Snapchat.
Some of the content creators participating in Snapchat's Discover include National Geographic, Vice, Daily Mail, CNN, People, Warner Music, Comedy Central and Food Network. Snapchatters can navigate through Discover by swiping to the left and then expand the content by swiping up on a channel.
Snapchat says it is working with leaders in the news industry to deliver news in a format that puts the narrative above all else. The Discover format was built for creative people who often find themselves forced to accommodate new technologies to share their work instead of it working for them, says Snapchat.
"This time we built the technology to serve the art: each edition includes full-screen photos and videos, awesome long form layouts, and gorgeous advertising," says Snapchat.
In introducing Discover, the company behind the ephemeral took subtle shots at sites like Facebook and Twitter. Other social media companies use clicks and analytics to determine what news to present to users, but Discover is more human, claims Snapchat.
"We see it differently -- we count on editors and artists, not clicks and shares, to determine what's important," says Snapchat.
Discover is Snapchat's latest feature tied to the self-destructive message styling that propelled the app and its company to success. The company's ephemeral business scheme has also extended to its ad space, where it is said to be charging around $750,000 for a spot that will close after 24 hours.
Some advertisers feel that window of time is too tight to make a $750,000 price tag anything more than a large gamble.
"I'm a big fan of Snapchat, but they are going to market with rates that are significantly higher than what's competitive out there," said a top executive. "It is difficult to go forward with a deal with Snapchat at the prices they are quoting."
