Mitú launches Snapchat Discover channel
Digital network mitú is hoping to make Latino-focused content more mainstream.
The company on Tuesday officially launched its own channel on Snapchat Discover, marking the company's latest push to bring more eyeballs to its content. It also underscores Snap Inc.'s efforts to bring more diverse content to its Discover platform, which is already home to media companies ranging from Mashable to Cosmopolitan.
"As the leading voice of Latino youth in America, we’re excited that Snap acknowledges and understands the importance of connecting with what is the most strategic demo in American youth today," mitú's Chief Marketing Officer Danny Johnson told Mashable. "For us, it’s a validation of our unique voice and ability to tell stories that resonate with this important audience. For Latinos, it’s meaningful to have one of the most important platforms take a leadership position in programming to them."
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Mitú, which launched in 2012, now drives more than 400 million monthly views, with over 96 million people in the U.S. engaging with its content monthly.
Johnson pointed to research that suggests U.S. Latinos are two times more likely to share content and that they share nearly five times as often, leading to heavy, cross-cultural influence.
"In 36 months, the minorities in America will become the majority," Johnson said. "And, with research showing US Latinos are two-times more likely to share content, and they share it nearly five times as often, we’ve found that they lead cross-cultural influence in the digital space. We believe Latino youth are the key to unlocking all of American youth."
In the U.S. today, there are over 56 million Latinos and 60% of them are under 34 years old, according to Pew research.
The channel will feature at least 10 daily videos, articles or images. The content will be a mix of nonfiction and fiction, focusing in on humor, food, family, relationships and other topics.
"Our content lives in the center of that cultural dualism and occupies a void in the media landscape."
"The content will continue to be anchored in the brand we’ve built - an unapologetic point of view speaking to the 200% - 100% American and 100% Latino," mitú's Chief Product Officer Mike Su told Mashable. "Our content lives in the center of that cultural dualism and occupies a void in the media landscape."
Su said mitú is most excited to explore storytelling in the vertical video format.
"Even as we were going through the evaluation process, we realized that full screen vertical video creates an intimacy to the storytelling that we’re excited to explore," he said. "We will create content include videos and articles, and we’re excited to be able to program editions that tell stories or explore themes across several pieces of content in ways that aren’t available on other platforms."
This is the latest partnership for the Santa Monica-based company. Already, mitu has worked with brands including Discovery, Spanish-language media giant Televisa, AOL, Univision and Disney’s Maker Studios. Most recently, mitu worked with Hispanic civil rights organization National Council of La Raza to "engage and mobilize young Latino voters" during the election.
Earlier this year, mitú announced it raised $27 million in a new round of funding (from Verizon as well as WPP Digital and DreamWorks Animation-owned AwesomenessTV).
Topics Snapchat
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
