Channel 4 and Snap have announced a partnership which will see upwards of 300 short-form edits of Channel 4 content air on Snapchat’s Discover platform over the next year.

The new agreement solidifies a partnership which first began in 2018, when Channel 4 was part of the launch of UK shows on Discover, Snapchat’s curated content platform. Since then seven shows have launched, of which Celebs Go Dating, Don’t Tell the Bride and Tattoo Fixers have reached over 19m unique viewers on Snapchat, most of whom are aged 13-24, according to Snap’s own data.

Starting today, Hollyoaks will air on Snapchat, with short-form made-for-mobile episodes going live immediately after they have aired on E4, All 4 and Channel 4. To celebrate the launch, there is also a bespoke augmented reality Lens which allows Snapchatters to create their own cliff-hanger finale, complete with the Hollyoaks theme tune and end credits.

Other shows included are The Last Leg, Grime Gran and Five Guys A Week, with a range of shows from across Channel 4’s programming slate to follow. 4Studio, Channel 4’s recently-launched, Leeds-based digital content hub, will be creating the made-for-mobile episodes. Snapchat and Channel 4 commercial arm 4Sales will share sales rights on the Shows.

“We are hugely excited to bring more Channel 4 to Snapchat,” said Channel 4 chief executive, Alex Mahon. “We have a unique brand and taste and reach into the youth-dominated audience of Snap so the fit is clear. This partnership allows us to further our mission to serve young audiences, to increase time spent with Channel 4 and to supercharge our digital footprint across 2020. We are continually evolving and adapting to reach our audience wherever they are and this is the latest iteration. I am particularly thrilled that Hollyoaks will offer Snapchatters a unique introduction to the joys of the great British Soap.”

On average Snapchat is used by 229m people every day. In the UK, Snapchat reaches over 80 per cent of 13 to 24-year-olds, and total daily time spent by Snapchatters watching Discover content increased by over 35 per cent year-over-year. In Q1 2020 and the total daily time spent by Snapchatters watching Shows more than doubled compared to Q1 2019. All figures from Snap’s own data.