Could Megan Thee Stallion And The D'Amelio Sisters Help Snapchat's Original Content Push?

Popular with millennials and Gen Z users, Snap Inc's  SNAP Snapchat is pushing further into its original programming to better monetize its large user base.

What Happened: At a presentation for advertisers on Wednesday, Snap Inc highlighted its upcoming slate of original programming.

“Off Thee Leash With Megan Thee Stallion” features the Grammy-winning artist with celebrity friends and their pets.

“Charli vs. Dixie” is a competition show that puts the popular D’Amelio sisters against each other. The pair rose to fame on TikTok and are among the most-followed people on social media.

Other shows include: “Meme Mom,” about Snapchat favorite NicoleTV, following her life as a mother and having a career; “Twinning Out,” which shows Niki and Gabi DeMartino navigating difficult decisions in life; “Coming Out,” which features six young people coming out to their family and friends for the first time; and "Breakwater," a futuristic young adult drama set in a world of climate refugees.

The new series, “The Me and You Show,” uses Snapchat’s Cameo technology to put its viewers into the show with their friends.

The company is working on creating original content that fits in the three categories: talent and creators with big trajectory, shows on important issues, and shows that are possible only with the Snapchat app and platform.

The company highlighted nine new and renewed Snap originals during the presentation.

Related Link: Is Snapchat’s Stock A Reopening Play, Analysts Like Strong Advertising, Map Revenue

Why It’s Important: More than 400 million people watched shows on Snapchat last year, according to the company. This includes over 90% of all Gen Z in the U.S.

Several celebrity-based shows from Snapchat have done well in terms of views. The company’s “Ryan Doesn’t Know” with Ryan Reynolds has more than 20 million viewers since January 2021. “Will From Home” starring Will Smith has over 43 million views in two seasons.

Shows that use Snapchat technology, such as “The Me and You Show,” could help push engagement with different product offerings that set the company apart from other social media platforms. More than 44 million people engage with Snapchat Cameos every week.

Snapchat also highlighted its Snap Creator Marketplace during the presentation. The platform will launch later in May to select users, then roll out to all Snap creators in 2022. The Creator Marketplace allows brands to book sponsorships with Snapchat talent.

Snap will not take a revenue cut of any of the Creator Marketplace deals.

“The benefit to us in the long run is creators will be happy to participate … and everyone wins,” said Peter Naylor, Snap's vice president of sales in the Americas

SNAP Price Action: Shares of Snap Inc are down 2.94% to $54.14 on Wednesday afternoon.

(Photo: Snap)