Snapchat Snaps Up Dating Show From Lis Murdoch’s Vertical Networks

Elisabeth Murdoch’s U.K.-based media company Vertical Networks is set to produce its first show for multimedia mobile app Snapchat. The two companies have greenlit production for a 12-episode short-form dating show called “Phone Swap,” which will launch via Snapchat’s Discover platform later in the year.

Each episode of the series will be approximately 4 minutes long and sees two strangers given unrestricted access to their blind dates’ cell phone before they meet. Snapchat users can watch as the prospective couple determine if they want to continue with the date after investigating their partner’s private messages, photos and anything else that might offer clues on their suitability.

Vertical identified dating as a key area of interest that speaks to the millennial audience that are Snapchat’s primary users. “Phone Swap” was developed by Vertical’s in-house development team.

The company was launched in 2015 with the intention of creating original short-form IP for mobile devices. Last year it launched a made-for-Snapchat brand channel called Brother. Using the slogan “channels for the impatiently curious” Vertical’s strategy is to develop a unique mobile first content studio for both domestic and international audiences. Shows will launch initially via Snapchat but Vertical’s ambition is for them to later travel to other platforms.

Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter