Snapchat hopes you'll subscribe to video channels

Snapchat isn't content with simply offering videos through Discover and hoping you'll watch them... it wants to give you a reason to keep coming back. Recode sources understand that Snapchat is planning to let you subscribe to Discover channels. You'd know the moment when CNN or ESPN posts a new video, and the mobile apps would give the Discover icons a "magazine-like" look that shows the video du jour. The company isn't confirming anything, but Snapchat is reportedly aiming to launch subscriptions as early as May.

Those may not sound like big changes on the surface, but they make sense given how big Snapchat is on video beyond disappearing messages. It needs publishers to stick around if it's going to make Discover your go-to video source -- if they know they're going to get legions of viewers every day, that's a strong incentive. Also, as Recode explains, these kinds of tweaks could prevent you from being overwhelmed if there's ever more than just a handful of publishers.