Snapchat Planning to Bring Stories to the Web

Snapchat is planning to roll out a new feature “Stories Everywhere” that will let users share stories outside Snapchat app according to a report from live streaming news network Cheddar.

The feature is designed to expand Snapchat’s presence beyond the sphere of mobile app as it continues its fierce rivalry with Facebook and Instagram within the social media ecosystem..

To lead the effort according to Cheddar, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., has hired Rahul Chopra, the former Senior Vice President and Global Head of Video at News Corp, who recently was CEO of the media conglomerate’s social data agency Storyful.

While Stories Everywhere is still in the early stages of development, Chopra has the important task of figuring out how to finally distribute the app’s wealth of user-generated content on the web and elsewhere. The project could mean that Snapchat makes it easier to share videos on other platforms through a web player that also prompts people to sign up and download the app, the person familiar with the matter told Cheddar.

For some time, Snap has had to deal with stagnate user growth and declining revenue, and the company suffered an abysmal third quarter this year as disappointing figures in both those departments sent shares into a dive. This is due to a number of factors, including Facebook’s ability to replicate Snap’s core features and place them in more popular and accessible products like Instagram.

Allowing publishers to embed Snapchat Stories on their websites could potentially also help convince the company’s partners to stick with the format, which has been a bit of a mixed bag for some. Last week, news broke that CNN is axing its daily Snapchat news show “The Update” just four months after its launch because of a lack of monetization opportunities.

It’s not certain when the feature would be available.