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Earlier this year NBC announced that it would be bringing the 2016 Olympics to Snapchat, and now the network is ramping up its mobile video plans with some of its most notable shows. Variety reports that NBCUniversal will be producing original episodic Snapchat programming from shows like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, with the network's debut offering — a five-part series called The Voice on Snapchat — debuting on August 22nd. Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton will all be featured in the episodes, where they will judge user-submitted vides, with winners potentially appearing on the traditional TV program.
On September 8th, E! News will also begin airing a weekly series on Snapchat focused on pop culture. The Rundown will be hosted by correspondent Erin Lim, and will incorporate segments produced exclusively for the platform. No launch date has been announced for either the Tonight Show or SNL spinoffs, though Fallon's segments and Saturday Night Live's sketch format both seem uniquely suited for the app.
Snapchat's Discover feature struggled to catch on in its first year, prompting a redesign this past June along with the ability to subscribe to various publishers. (An ad for The Voice on Snapchat is already featured in Discover, so users can get subscribed now if they're interested.) The idea of leveraging traditional mediums like television to bolster adoption of disruptive ones like Snapchat is ironic on its face, but as my colleague Casey Newton has pointed out, Snapchat has struggled to turn itself into TV for a younger generation due to its lack of traditional "hit" programming. Partnering with NBCUniversal serves as a potential boon for both parties: Snapchat gets high-quality content exclusive to its service with a well-known brand, while NBC is able to bring its shows to an audience it may not be able to reach otherwise.
Disclosure: Comcast Ventures and NBCUniversal are investors in Vox Media, The Verge's parent company.