Diving into Chick-fil-A's Content Empire: A New Frontier
Chick-Fil-A allegedly preparing to debut a reality TV streaming platform.
Fast-food giant Chick-fil-A is shaking things up in the entertainment world, unveiling plans for a streaming service crammed with original content, including reality TV shows. Known for their scrumptious fried chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A is aiming to conquer new territories by catering to family entertainment.
According to a spill from Deadline, Chick-fil-A has been cooking up "family-friendly shows" with major production companies, with an emphasis on "unscripted" content. The production budget for some unscripted projects could reach an eye-popping $400k per half-hour episode, the report reveals. Details are still thin on the ground, but Deadline hints that Chick-fil-A has cooked up a "family-friendly gameshow," spanning ten episodes. Furthermore, the company is considering scripted projects and animation, as per the report. The project is helmed by Brian Gibson, a TV whiz with Top Gear in his resume.
Gizmodo attempted to get more deets from Chick-fil-A, but they haven't gotten back to us yet.
Deadline points out that brands branching into video content is the new hot trend in the industry, often resulting in programming that puts a happy or slapstick spin on products. Lyft, Airbnb, and even Amazon's Ring Nation have gotten in on the act, with the latter featuring funny videos taken by home surveillance systems. We'll have to wait and see if the Chick-fil-A gameshow will quiz contenders on their knowledge of Chick-fil-A condiments.
Chick-fil-A has caused a ruckus in the past due to allegations of homophobia, known for donating to anti-gay groups and later ending these donations. More recently, the restaurant chain grated the ire of MAGA fans when it rolled out a DEI program. To dodge controversy, the company's dive into reality TV—a notoriously culture-war-free zone—appears to be a shrewd move.
Chick-fil-A fans can already access a different kind of entertainment via the Chick-fil-A Play app, launched earlier. The app, though initially reported as a streaming service, isn't that—it's a digital extension of the company's play areas found in their restaurants. The app offers a smorgasbord of family-friendly content, featuring cartoons, interactive recipe and craft videos, games, and joke generators, among other things. It's all about engaging both kids and parents in active participation to offer more than just traditional entertainment. The app is guided by animated cows, a hallmark of the Chick-fil-A brand, who lead users through various sections of the app.
Chick-fil-A's foray into content creation is only one piece of a broader strategy to engage customers beyond their physical restaurants and strengthen the brand connection. The company plans to keep updating the app with fresh content and improvements throughout the year. This move falls in line with the trend among fast-food chains to diversify their brand engagement strategies.
- The technology-driven future of entertainment might see Chick-fil-A venturing into scripted projects and animation, as hinted by Deadline.
- Brian Gibson, with his experience on Top Gear, is helming Chick-fil-A's content creation endeavor, aiming to create family-friendly shows.
- TV might soon have a new gameshow, as Deadline suggests Chick-fil-A is considering a family-friendly gameshow with ten episodes in its unscripted programming.
- As brands increasingly delve into video content, it's probably that future episodes of the Chick-fil-A gameshow could quiz contestants on their knowledge of Chick-fil-A's condiments, potentially adding an interactive element to the show.
