Snap Inc to debut made-for-India series on March 27

Snap Inc will debut its first original series for the Indian market through Snapchat's Discover platform on March 27.

Called 'Phone Swap India', the 12-episode, mobile-first show is a Hindi version of Snap Inc's longstanding dating reality original series Phone Swap, which is in its 12th season in the US. The company had first announced this series last October as part of its original programming lineup for India.

Other shows in the works include an upcoming original series with rapper and lyricist Raftaar and first-person creator shows with comedian Vir Das, and actresses Anushka Sen and Ruhi Singh among others. More than 70 million people in India watched a show on Snapchat last year, the company said in a statement.


"We have always believed in the importance of investing in a local content experience, working closely with local production partners, and are thrilled to launch Phone Swap India," said Vanessa Guthrie, head of Snap Originals.

India has emerged as a key market for Snap Inc. Its user base in the country crossed 60 million in Q4 2020.

The country has also proved vital for the company's localisation strategy. India is one of the first markets where Snap Inc. invested in localising its product, by building local augmented-reality creator communities, adding local content, and investing in local marketing initiatives.

Earlier this month, Snap Inc also brought its short-video offering Spotlight to India, nearly four months after its launch in the US and 10 other countries. The service, which claimed to have 100 million users as of January, is currently available in 14 countries.

In India, it will compete with more than a dozen short-video apps — including Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, MX Player's TakaTak*, Dailyhunt's Josh and Sharechat's Moj. There is however one key difference -- Spotlight's feed is moderated for content and doesn't allow public comments.

*Disclosure: MX Player is owned by Times Internet, which also owns ETtech.