You know what would make getting a snap from your bestie even better? Being greeted by the soothing voice of Mike Myer’s Shrek upon opening it — and soon you’ll be able to!
Snapchat has officially announced they are partnering with NBCUniversal to bring sound clips from several hit films and shows, such as Shrek, to the social media platform (via The Hollywood Reporter). In addition to everyone’s favorite fairytale farce, Snapchat users will also be able to enjoy audio from comedy classics like Bridesmaids, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Back to the Future, and Saturday Night Live, giving the platform’s 306 million daily users a new variety of colorful ways to communicate.
While users could previously add music samples to their snaps, this is the first time Snapchat has introduced a partnership that included film and tv audio clips and is seemingly a direct response to their popularity on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. However, the feature won’t solely bolster Snapchat’s online presence. To help navigate users to their favorite films and shows — as well as encourage them to sign up for streaming services such as NBC’s Peacock — all snaps using NBCU audio will feature an option that allows viewers to swipe up to learn more about the sound clip’s origin, as well as a link to view what platforms the title is streaming on. Now your friend who still hasn’t seen The Office has no excuse not to give it a shot.
Ben Schwerin, Snapchat’s senior vice president of content and partnerships, says the platform is “thrilled” to host NBCUniversal’s iconic catalog on the site, stating users will love adding quotes to help “perfectly express the moment.”
“NBCUniversal has an iconic catalog and we know Snapchatters will love adding quotes from their favorite movies and series to their Snaps to help perfectly express the moment. NBC has been a tremendous and long-standing partner to Snap and we’re thrilled to continue to innovate together on new experiences for our community.”
This deal marks the second major acquisition for Snapchat this year following the platform entering a multiyear licensing deal with Universal Music Group back in June. That merger ultimately brought the entirety of Universal’s massive music catalog to Snapchat, and has contributed significantly to the creation of more than 521 million videos on Snapchat that utilize the “add audio” feature.
