Well, that didn't take long.

What took Instagram four years has been achieved by Snapchat in almost half that time. Yes, the social media wunderkid is on the verge of rolling out ads.

Snap it up

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Snapchat is expanding beyond temporary photos and videos into a content platform delivering news, videos and advertisements. 

The content will be delivered by a new service dubbed Snapchat Discovery.

Snapchat Discovery will reportedly work by allowing users to select content by holding down their finger on their smartphone or tablet screen – similar to the way users currently choose photos and videos on the platform.

It's speculated that ads will appear either as sponsored content or pre-roll before new content can be accessed. 

Snap happy

The move makes sense for Snapchat, which is a hit with the lucrative Millennial market.

However with increasing pressure from rival messaging apps from Facebook and Instagram among others, Snapchat's looking to strike while the digital iron is hot. 

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