Dive Brief:

• The messaging service has hired former Fox executive Marcus Wiley to amp up original content on Snap Channel -- an extension of the app's Discover publishing portal. 
• Speaking at the Code Conference in California this week, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel said the message-disappearing app has hit nearly 100 million daily active users.
• Spiegel also hinted that Snapchat is working on a self-serve ad platform for marketers, saying, “We will make it easier for brands to be brands and self-serve advertising is part of that.”

Dive Insight: 

Snapchat has taken center stage in the social media world. Snapchat is privately held and therefore isn't required to disclose metrics, but the platform's CEO has revealed the company is seeing nearly 100 million active daily users. (Just last summer, the app was reporting 100 million monthly users.)

Spiegel admitted the company has historically had little interest in helping brands use the app. Snapchat recently introduced its first major ad product, which comes with a hefty price tag of $750,000 before cutting those rates. The decision to add a self-serve ad platform would lure more brands onto the app, with more brand-friendly options like the recently introduced "Two Pennies" video ad offering.