Al Jazeera English has joined the image and video sharing app Snapchat, to provide viewers with a more interactive way to watch their content. 

Snapchat launched in 2011 and now claims to have 4 billion video views per day. The platform allows users to interact with one another by sending an image or video to their contacts for five to ten seconds at a time. 

"People always ask questions that go beyond what can be communicated in traditional news stories," said Al Jazeera English's Head of Online, Imad Musa, "so this is a fun and informative way to have conversations about current affairs." 

Those who add "AJENews" can watch regular reports from the newsroom and on location.

In a recent report from Greece in Snapchat, Al Jazeera reporters asked users to send in their questions about the refugee crisis.  

Broadcasters such as the BBC, Sky News, Vice and BuzzFeed are among the other media outlets who use the app to deliver short form news.  

Sky News says having a presence on Snapchat allows them to tell stories in a different way to conventional broadcasts and other social media networks. On demand editor, Alan Strange, told the RTS that: “We look at it with a bit more depth – what is the context around this and offer something different.” 

"Sky news produces content on Apple TV, X Box, TV and on mobile and being on Snapchat is one extra place for us. We would hope that people would look at what we’re doing on Snapchat and latch onto us as a news provider."

Snapchat is free to download and is available on Android and iOS.