Snapchat has unveiled its first non-English media partnerships with the launch of a French version of Discover.
US brands Vice and Cosmopolitan have been joined by some of France’s biggest media outlets including newspaper Le Monde, magazine Paris Match and sports publisher L’Équipe.
The company is also opening an office in Paris to run advertising sales headed by former Warner Bros marketing and data senior vice-president Emmanuel Durand.
Though built and still mainly used as a way to share self-destructing images and short clips with friends, Snapchat has pushed Discover as a place for brands to publish content and sell advertising.
It is seen by many media companies as a way to reach younger users who do not consume media through established channels.
In June, Snapchat added the ability to subscribe to individual publishers from Discover, placing their content alongside videos from users’ friends.
Though Snapchat Discover has been available worldwide since January 2015, the French launch is the first localised version not in English, following earlier rollouts in the UK and Australia.
At Cannes last year, advertising group WPP and the Daily Mail announced the launch of a joint ad agency with Snapchat called Truffle Pig.
Snapchat vice-president of content Nick Bell said: “Since January 2015, Discover has been a place for Snapchatters to explore stories from expert editorial perspectives.
“Starting today, Snapchatters in France will for the first time have French content to explore on Discover. We’re delighted to have Le Monde, L’Equipe, Paris Match, Melty, Konbini, Vice, Cosmopolitan and Tastemade as our partners, each bringing something unique to our growing audience in France.”
