Snapchat Expands Its Sound Library as Part of New Collaboration with NBCUniversal

With a new collaboration with NBCUniversal, Snapchat will be able to provide more creative audio options within Snaps, allowing Snapchatters to insert audio clips from a variety of popular TV episodes and movies within their Snaps.

According to Snap:

“Today, we’re excited to announce a new deal with NBCUniversal so Snapchatters globally can add audio clips (famous quotes and theme music) to their Snaps from NBCUniversal’s robust catalog of movies, television series and original programming.”

Users will be able to incorporate audio clips from movies like Shrek and Despicable Me, and also TV shows like SNL, The Office, and others, as shown in the above image.

With easy access to a variety of audio clips from shows to provide another aspect to your conversations, this could be a popular addition.

“When your friend sends you a Snap with a Sound, swipe up to view the key art and title of the movie or series from which the audio clip is derived. A “Play This Sound” link will open a webview powered by Linkfire so you can access the relevant content via the streaming platforms on which it is available.”

The gain for NBCUniversal is a more direct connection to the source content, similar to how song clips have become officially licensed in all the major apps. This is in contrast to people, say, sharing GIFs from shows, which could help promote their content and boost brand awareness but do not provide a direct link to the source material.

Forming a more direct connection allows the publisher more control and information into content usage, and the additional usage data, which will also be sent back to NBCU, will allow it to tap into emerging trends, source future licensing agreements, and so on.

It's also another creative tool for Snapchat users to add to their arsenal. Last October, the app officially launched its music clips feature, which was perceived as a response to TikTok's rising popularity, and audio snippets adds another element to the app, expanding your creativity and response choices.

Similar arrangements with other platforms are expected to be announced soon by NBCU and other publishers.