Digiday Publishing Summit:

Connect with execs from The New York Times, TIME, Dotdash Meredith and many more

SECURE YOUR SEAT

You can now replay Snapchats for 99 cents, if you’re into that sort of thing

Snapchat is figuring out a new way to make money since selling Snap swag apparently won’t pay the bills.

Today, the photo messaging app started selling three extra replays of friend’s snaps for 99 cents. Snapchat says in a blog post that the one free replay each day was “sometimes frustrating” to the users who receive several snaps a day. Ten replays can be bought for $2.99 and 20 replays cost $4.99.

“You can use a Replay on any Snap you receive, but you can only Replay any Snap once,” Snapchat’s rules state, ensuring that the ephemeral nature of the app remains. The price tag was widely viewed as ludicrous considering users will not be getting much in return; even Snapchat acknowledges that it’s a “little pricey — but time is money! ;)”

And if there’s one thing Snapchat likes, it’s money. In addition to sponsored filters, Snapchat has been charging brands big bucks to be featured in its Live Stories and Discover channels, although users are lightning quick to tap past them, much to the frustration of ad buyers.

Judging by the initial reaction, it doesn’t sound like too many people will pay for the new feature:

Snapchat did release some free things too that may appease the haters. There are now Lenses that add “masks” or filters:

Finally, also tucked away are descriptions of the Friend Emojis that appear on the “Send To…” list that can now customized.

What a thrilling day.

https://digiday.com/?p=135819

More in Media

YouTube’s AI slop crackdown has creators concerned, marketers cheering

Despite the potential crackdown, both creators and marketers broadly view YouTube’s updated policies as a positive move. They believe it indicates that the platform is paying attention to the ways creators are using AI — and that it’s open to AI tools that don’t result in the propagation of so-called “AI slop” videos. 

Jargon buster: The key terms to know on AI bot traffic and monetization

Here’s a breakdown of the emerging vocabulary of AI-media economics, what these terms mean, and why they matter now.

Digiday+ Research: Publishers identify the top trends among Gen Z readers

Gen Z makes up a very small percentage of publishers’ readership, but those Gen Z audience members are consuming their news anytime, anywhere.