Snapchat's 'Phone Swap' Coming To TV: Digital Platforms Taking Over Television

In the battle between television and digital platforms, the latter seems to be having the upper hand with digital mediums such as Snapchat and YouTube becoming hugely popular with the millennial audience.

Another scoring point for digital platforms is their adaptability unlike TV.

A testament to this adaptability is Snapchat, which has been airing its own shows for long, taking "Phone Swap" — a dating series that has more than 10 million views per episode — to TV.

The series follows strangers as they exchange phones, allowing them to go through the content of each others smartphones. The show is the first to make the transition from Snapchat to TV.

Executives confirmed in an earning call that Master Chef producer Robin Ashbrook would direct the show, which will be created by Snapchat and Vertical Networks.

"We've been delighted with the reaction to Phone Swap," Vertical Networks CEO Tom Wright told the Hollywood Reporter. "We believe that the format has real potential to travel to other platforms, and having a partner with Robin Ashbrook's huge experience on board will give us the best chance of achieving this. This has been a great start in our ambition to create original IP [intellectual property] based on our deep insights into the mobile-first audience, and we are excited to see how our upcoming shows develop."

Snapchat has given TV a run for its money with its Discover platform, which shows series specially designed for the platform. Over 22 Snapchat shows debuted on the platform last year, most of them performing well. In fact, even TV celebrities such as Kylie Jenner debuted on the platform with shows such as "Ask Kylie."

According to Digiday, Snapchat's parent company Snap Inc. expects at least three of its shows to air everyday on Discover by the end of the year.

The company has also stumbled upon a magic formula for attracting millenials: short and relatable content, with some shows just three minutes in length. Most of the shows are non-fiction reality shows, which don’t take up much of the user’s time, and aren’t restricted or bugged by ads as on TV.

No wonder, the platform is only growing in popularity.

“We’ve received interest from record labels and celebrities who are reaching out to say they’re interested in creating a show concept for Snap,” Nick Cicero, CEO of Delmondo, which has pitched Snap show concepts, told Digiday.

Even TV stations have sensed the opportunity with platforms such as Snap, with NBC News creating its own Snapchat show called "Stay Tuned."

Ultimately, digital content is the future of TV. Platforms such as YouTube are already close to having more than a billion viewers per day. TV as such has largely lost its appeal since digital platforms offer much easier access and viewing of content more suited to a millennial audience.

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