Snapchat on a smartphone
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Snapchat tries to win back users with daily shows

Multimedia messaging paragon Snapchat is unveiling its own scripted programming in a bid to lure users back to the app among competition from Instagram. The 12 new “Snapchat Originals” were announced today, as reported by TechCrunch.

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The shows will appear in the Discover section of Snapchat, where a dedicated Originals area will soon find its place. For now, however, you can get a preview of the new shows helmed by producers of such programs as Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Friday Night Lights in the video below. (Also on deck? A reality show about infamous “Cash Me Outside” rapper Bhad Bhabie called Bringing Up Bhabie.)

The company’s banking on the shows to bring disaffected Snap users back to the big yellow app. And it seemingly hopes to grow into a premium provider on par with HBO or Netflix. Can you imagine water cooler talk about Snapchat shows?

“If the programming really resonates with the demographic,” Snap’s VP of content Nick Bell tells CNN, “people will go in to school or the workplace, [and] they’ll tell their friends about it. We hope that will bring new people into the app.”

And Snapchat apparently needs the help: It reportedly lost daily active users for the first time in the most recent quarter, trailing behind its closest competitor, Instagram, which has now basically copied Snap’s most popular features.

Over 400 million people use the Stories feature every day on Instagram, twice as many as Snap’s daily user base. Both apps let users posts photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours. Snapchat currently has 188 million daily active users.

What do you think of original programming on Snapchat? Sound off in the comments!

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