Chick-fil-A Gets Cooking With Family-Friendly Entertainment
By Movieguide® Contributor
Chick-fil-A is cooking up more than just chicken.
The fast-food giant is reportedly working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry to launch its own streaming platform and original shows.
Deadline reported, “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.”
Although the company has not publicly announced its new venture, a source told Deadline that the home of the “original chicken sandwich” has been in talks with several major networks and has a budget of around $400,000 per half-hour of unscripted content.
Deadline also noted, “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.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
Fast food chain Chick-fil-A is looking to expand into the entertainment industry.
Its new app, “PLAY,” may include “scripted podcasts and audio adventures, original animation, reality and game shows, and other live-action scripted or non-scripted programming.”
The company’s foray into entertainment doesn’t necessarily mean it will create content related to its brand. Rather, it aims to create content that “entertains our kids & family audience” and matches the “vision, heartbeat, and positioning of the Chick-fil-A brand,” the company said.
“The Chick-fil-A brand has a very specific and nuanced approach, and content will need to be carefully and thoughtfully brought to life in such a way that audiences both internal and external can quickly say, ‘That feels like Chick-fil-A,’” it continued.
Although Chick-fil-A has not yet announced a release date for its content, it has announced a new sandwich. In an Instagram post, the company said, “Mark your calendars for August 26th…🍯 A seasonal favorite is coming back, along with a spicy sidekick. Grab the Honey Pepper Pimento Sandwich in original or spicy. 💛 Our most bananas milkshake is headed your way. Try the new Banana Pudding Milkshake, made with real bananas and vanilla wafer cookie crumbles. Available for a limited time.”
The fast-food company isn’t the first non-entertainment company to pursue the streaming space. Starbucks launched Starbucks Studios in June, Axios reported.
“Brands have been flocking to Hollywood for partnership deals that allow their corporate narrative to seep into culture and appeal to key constituencies by being entertaining,” said Axios reporter Eleanor Hawkins.
