Chip and Joanna Gaines' TV Empire to Debut in 2020
by EG
Chip and Joanna Gaines are about to launch a media empire that will include a TV network, a content-delivery app, and a streaming platform. Will that be too much, even for fans of Fixer Upper? Read on to see what you think.
Via Deadline.
Discovery and Magnolia, the home and lifestyle brand led by Chip and Joanna Gaines, have confirmed long-gestating plans for a joint venture, with a planned launch date in summer 2020.
The initiative, whose name will soon be announced, includes a linear television network and TV Everywhere app. A subscription streaming service will be added later. In the official announcement, timed to Discovery’s upfront presentation this evening in New York, the companies said it will be “inspired by Magnolia and driven by the Gaines’ creative vision.”
The Gaineses will serve as Chief Creative Officers and current HGTV President Allison Page will be president of the new joint venture.
The linear network will occupy the real estate of the company’s DIY Network, which was acquired as part of Discovery’s $14.6 billion acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive. DIY is carried in about 52 million U.S. homes.
New programming concepts currently in development will center around topics including community, home, garden, food, wellness, entrepreneurialism and design. The network also will be home to the complete library of Fixer Upper, which premiered on HGTV in 2013 and was one of the highest-rated series on the network during its four-year run.
Financial terms for the joint venture were not disclosed.
“Chip and Joanna Gaines have become trusted, household names since the debut of Fixer Upper and through this joint venture, Discovery is proud to extend our relationship with them,” Discovery CEO David Zaslav said. “They’ve got authenticity and relatability, that special something that is so difficult in our business to find. People love them, their taste, their businesses – they’ve built an ecosystem that aligns perfectly with our vision at Discovery for fueling people’s passions.”
Get the rest of the story at Deadline.
Do you think Chip and Joanna will be successful? Let us know in the comments below.