Snapchat pulls the plug on Snap Channel

In a statement to Deadline, the company said, “Given that we are winding down the Snap Channel, it’s natural that Marcus would want to explore other opportunities”. Deadline reports that the decision has prompted the departure of Marcus Wiley, previously a high-profile grab for Snapchat, joining as its head of program planning and development after a stint as Fox’s senior vice president of comedy.

Snapchat, which has about 100 million active users, was trying to give its users with content that they can digest.

The news was even more surprising given that the programming team had just moved into a new 12,000-square-foot studio a few weeks ago – a space which will now be assigned to employees in other areas of the business. “He is a tremendous talent and we wish him well”. Snapchat ventured into ad-supported content with the January rollout of its revenue-generating Discover platform, which features articles and videos from 15 media brands, including ESPN, Comedy Central, Cosmopolitan, CNN, National Geographic, Vice and Yahoo. If original content does return – which the company doesn’t rule out – it won’t be through Snap Channel.

Snapchat will now be forced to rely on its Discover partners for original content.

The shutdown of Snap Channel was a surprise, as there were ongoing discussions with production companies and studios on several possible shows. The videos were produced in-house, though the channel’s closure suggests its content failed to attract enough eyeballs, leading the LA-based company to view its investment in the offering as unsustainable.