Teen app Wishbone adds video support and partners with Disney’s Freeform network

Social entertainment app Wishbone has added vertical video support as part of its efforts to appeal to teens. This update allows users to post up to 10-second side-by-side clips, which the company hopes will result in some “cool content” being created.

In addition, Wishbone has made its first on-air partnership with Disney’s Freeform television network, which will result in collaboration on popular shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Young & Hungry, and The Fosters.

Created by the Santa Monica-based technology incubator Science, Wishbone is centered around providing social entertainment to teenagers. It’s not a social network like Facebook — it’s an app that provides pop culture information on a scheduled basis. A user is typically shown a card with two choices and asked to vote for their preference. Topics include things like fashion and celebrities.

Previously, the content had been limited to photos and text, but now Wishbone has taken a page out of Musical.ly and Instagram’s playbooks by letting users create their own “cards” using video. Users can easily create this card type right from their profile, either uploading vertical video or instantly recording two clips. The videos can be muted or played simultaneously and will auto-play once scrolled over and until a vote has been cast.

“What we’re looking for and what we’re featuring is things really around talent and expression,” said Science CEO Mike Jones.

Other users can comment and vote on which video they like best. Wishbone said that the best user-generated videos will be featured in its Daily/Nightly Dozens and Community Feeds as a means of further promoting the content.

And although you’ll have 10 seconds to record a video, there’s a catch: If one clip is shorter than that, say 6 seconds long, then the total run-time will match the shorter clip.

In addition to this release, Wishbone is expanding its brand partnerships, with the Freeform television network joining Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, Seventeen, and Sephora in finding opportunities to tap into the teen market. Starting in June, Wishbone will be “taken over” by Freeform shows, starting with Pretty Little Liar. During its season premiere, the actors will share content from their show, including video.

“The whole point of the campaign is to get users to tune in,” explained Benoit Vatere, general manager of Science’s mobile division.

With each takeover, Freeform will push 12 cards of content — some will be videos while others will be traditional static content. Push notifications that users receive from the app will be timed for each premiere. The network will also feature an on-screen banner instructing viewers to use Wishbone and vote for the content in the app.

To date, Wishbone counts 4.3 million registered users, up from 3.1 million in September. The company says that it has seen 11.8 billion votes since launch and more than 220,000 cards created daily.