MTV reviving cult hit Cribs on Snapchat to reach younger audiences

MTV is reviving one of its most popular series, Cribs, exclusively for Snapchat users in an attempt to reach youth audiences outside of TV. The beloved 2000s series will return as a short-form programme specifically designed for the instant-messaging app, more than five years after its last episode aired, as part of MTV's fervent push to make itself relevant to millennials.

Originally aired in 2000, the cult hit TV show gave viewers a peek of celebrities' lavish homes, properties and often outlandish taste in interior design. Over the course of 13 seasons, the show featured over 185 celebrities, musicians and athletes including Naomi Campbell, 50 Cent, Aaron Carter and Hunk Hogan. Its most memorable episode, however, took fans on an hour-long tour of Mariah Carey's penthouse where the songstress took a bath in a towel and worked out in stilettos.

Departing from the original series' use of a traditional camera crew, the new version will feature artists and celebrities guiding Snapchat users through their homes by speaking to the camera, providing fans with an "intimate experience." The revival is expected to launch in June as a weekly series and will feature rapper Mac Miller, pop singer-songwriter Austin Mahone and rapper Travis Mills as its first hosts.

Cribs will be produced and developed for Snapchat by Kim Thai and hosted on MTV's Snapchat Discover channel that was launched in February.

MTV's parent company, Viacom, recently inked a multi-year advertising deal with Snapchat as part of the media company's efforts to make reaching new audiences a priority.

To compete with other tech-savvy news sources such as Buzzfeed and Vice, MTV began to refocus on music programming and shift to a digital-first strategy based on a data-driven approach two years ago by heavily investing in new tech infrastructure, younger talent and personalities from the online world and high-profile journalists.

Snapchat, on the other hand, has been on a partnership spree, teaming up with multiple sports and media companies keen to tap into the app's global audience of almost 100 million daily active users.

Cribs is not MTV's only Snapchat series either.

The entertainment giant is also launching Pants Off, an eight-episode series on sex and relationships, set to premiere on Snapchat on 14 May before heading to other MTV platforms. The series will utilise a new "auto-advance" technology that allows Snapchatters to blend video advice from the host, gifs and celebrity interviews into "one linear program."