Last night, every person who visited the snapchat.com website was able to almost be a guest at the Academy Awards ceremony. Snapchat offered live updates of the red carpet and the awards show that can still be viewed on the site.

Snapchat updated its website to allow users enjoy the Oscars ceremony online, rather than watching it on their phone inside the app. This is the first time Snapchat has ever shown content this way and it might mean a step forward to make the app more accessible and maybe more viral.

Leonardo DiCaprio (left) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (right) holding their awards. Photo: EPA/PAUL BUCK
Leonardo DiCaprio (left) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (right) holding their awards. Photo: EPA/PAUL BUCK

Snapchat hasn’t made any comments about the functions of its new web player. It is unknown whether it would be present every day or would only feature major events, but it indeed helps to share the content with people who don’t regularly visit the app.

Snapchat.com works the same way as the app. It is literary like watching snaps on the app but on desktops. Users can still skip snaps by clicking the screen and it includes a pause button, however, there is no indication of how long the Snapchat story or each snap will last.

Snapchat for the web

Last month, Snapchat introduced new user’s profile URLs that allows users to access profiles and add other users by using links. This function is not yet completely working since it redirects snapchatters to an app download site when clicking a link.  The Oscars Live online has been the only content available on the website.

This web player might also turn Snapchat into a more direct competition with products like Twitter Moments which have already been established on desktops.

Snapchat is not only looking forward to keeping its users interested in absorbing and creating content but also wants to gain the attention of people who are not users of the app and receive recognition from them.

Source: The Verge