Chick-Fil-A Hatches Plans For Streaming Service As Reality TV Comes Home To Roost
EXCLUSIVE: Chick-Fil-A is moving aggressively into the entertainment space with plans to launch a slate of originals for its own streaming platform.
Deadline understands that the fast-food firm has been working with a number of major production companies, including some of the studios, to create family-friendly shows, particularly in the unscripted space. It is also in talks to license and acquire content.
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We hear that this includes a family-friendly gameshow from Glassman Media, the company behind NBC’s The Wall, and Michael Sugar’s Sugar23, which is behind series such as Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why. Deadline understands this show has been handed a ten-episode order.
Budgets on the unscripted side are believed to be in the range of $400,000 per half-hour. Sources told us the idea is to launch later this year and there’s also talk of scripted projects and animation.
Brian Gibson, who has worked on series including History’s Top Gear remake and Fox’s adaptation of The X Factor, is leading the programming charge and has been in talks with various producers.
Chick-Fil-A, known for its fried chicken sandwiches, is the latest company outside of the entertainment industry to move into making its own originals. It joins the likes of Lyft, which has produced shows such as Lucky Lyft, a game show hosted by Bob The Drag Queen, and Airbnb, which previously produced documentary Gay Chorus Deep South that aired on MTV.
Chick-Fil-A, which operates over 3,000 restaurants in the U.S., has previously produced content for its own site before including Stories of Evergreen Hills, a series of short, animated films. It has also diversified into other areas such as making children’s puzzles and games under its Pennycake brand.
One source told Deadline that it was a positive move for the reality TV industry, which has been struggling in recent years, and another source added it was a good opportunity, comparing it to branded content. Chick-Fil-A declined to comment.
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