Google is talking to several publishers about a technology that’s similar to Snapchat, according to a Friday report in The Wall Street Journal.
The technology, dubbed “Stamp,” could be revealed as soon as next week and contain content from Vox Media, CNN, Mic, the Washington Post and Time, the Journal reported. The technology could potentially be very attractive to advertisers, thanks to Google’s widespread mobile reach through Android and search.
Stamp is a word play on Google’s faster-loading “AMP” articles (the news stories that appear at the top of the page after a Google search), and the “st” in “stories.” The ephemeral feature of Snapchat is something Facebook has also mimicked with a feature called “Stories.”
Snapchat’s disappearing publisher content is in a section of the app called “Discover,” where short bursts of media content are interspersed with advertisements. Users who come to the app for its messaging features can also interact with advertising through sponsored “lenses” or “geofilters” that superimpose animation over their images. But Snap’s ability to push media content to younger users is a big value proposition of the app, with Snap sealing deals to carry content like the Winter Olympics.
The report comes on the heels of an unconfirmed Business Insider report that there were rumors that Google was interested in buying Snapchat. Both Snap and Google make the majority of their revenue from advertising, though Google is by far the dominant player as Snap struggles with additional competition from Facebook.
Snap shares fell sharply after the Wall Street Journal report was released, but remained positive for the day. The companies were not immediately available to comment on the report.
For more on the story, see the full article at WSJ.com
Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal is an investor in Snap. CNBC parent NBCUniversal is an investor Vox Media.
Source: Tech CNBC
Google is working on a rival to one of Snap's main money-making features, report says