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A company known primarily for fried chicken sandwiches and homophobia is now moving into the entertainment industry. Chick-fil-A, which admittedly sells some of the most delicious sandwiches ever produced on planet earth, is planning to launch its own streaming service, which will reportedly be populated by original content, including reality TV shows.
Per a report from Deadline, Chick-fil-A has been “working with a number of major production companies” in an effort to conjure up “family-friendly shows,” with a special focus on “unscripted” content. The budget for some unscripted content could run as high as $400k per half-hour episode, the report says. While details are otherwise scant, Deadline notes that the company has already developed a “family-friendly gameshow,” which will involve ten episodes. In addition to such content, the company is also interested in “scripted projects and animation,” the report notes. The project is being led by Brian Gibson, a TV veteran who has been involved with other high-level reality TV, like Top Gear.
Gizmodo reached out to Chick-fil-A for more information and will update this story when we receive a response.
Deadline notes that large brands launching their own video content is something of an industry trend these days (and an odious one, at that). Often, companies will fund programming that promotes their products in a happy or goofy light. Deadline notes that both Lyft and Airbnb have produced programs featuring their own products, but there’s also Ring Nation, a series developed by Amazon that featured funny videos allegedly taken by the company’s home surveillance systems. It remains to be seen whether the “game show” the company has backed will involve quizzes about Chick-fil-A condiments.
In years past, Chick-fil-A stirred the ire of GLAAD and other LGBTQ organizations by donating money to anti-gay groups. Eventually, the company stopped doing this. Then, more recently, the restaurant chain stirred the ire of MAGA types, who accused the company of going “woke” when it decided to roll out a DEI program. The company’s pivot towards reality TV—a notably culture-war-free zone—is probably a smart choice.
