Chick-fil-A plans to launch streaming service with original shows

Look out, Peacock. There’s reportedly a new video streaming service that’s avian-themed.

The fast-food chain Chick-fil-A plans to launch a video streaming service, Deadline reported today, citing anonymous sources. The streaming service is expected to focus on “family-friendly” content and include original TV shows, the publication said.

Chick-fil-A declined to comment on Deadline’s report.

Deadline reports that Chick-fil-A is in discussions to license and acquire content but is also working with numerous “major production companies, including some of the studios” to make family shows. It’s also reportedly recruited TV show producer Brian Gibson to head programming.

Chick-fil-A is reportedly particularly interested in unscripted shows. The poultry chain has a budget “in the range of $400,000 per half-hour” for unscripted content, Deadline said. Chick-fil-A is already looking to license an unnamed “family-friendly game show” from the production company that makes The Wall, a Chris Hardwick-hosted trivia game show that airs on NBC, per Deadline.

Chick-fil-A also reportedly ordered 10 episodes of an unnamed show from Sugar23. The production company has experience producing shows for streaming services like Netflix (examples include Maniac and The OA) and Apple TV+ (Dickinson).

A fast-food company entering the video streaming business is an unusual development. Food delivery companies, like Grubhub and DoorDash, have been peddling bundled streaming packages in combination with their own services. But a company known for fried chicken looking to launch an original hit on its own streaming service is a new one for the streaming industry.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that a known, non-entertainment company has sought to produce original shows. As Deadline pointed out, Airbnb produced the Gay Chorus Deep South documentary that aired on MTV. Companies like Lyft and Chick-fil-A have also produced their own web series before. But this new venture would hatch a whole new type of business for the fried chicken joint.

A Chick-fil-A streaming service could give the company new product placement opportunities. Chick-fil-A already uses clothing, accessories, and games to promote the restaurant. But for people to actually stomach yet another streaming service, Chick-fil-A would have to offer much more than half-baked shows with people eating chicken sandwiches in the background.

Chick-fil-A’s purported streaming attempts come as the broader industry faces a boiling point. An influx of options, price hikes, and changing terms of use have left many customers rethinking their subscriptions and frequently canceling. Ultimately, Chick-fil-A’s ability to stand out during this tumultuous time is dubious, especially when there are already streaming services offering family-friendly content (like Disney+). A killer Chick-fil-A streaming exclusive and low (or free) pricing could pique some interest. But we don’t expect Netflix’s millions of subscribers to fly the coop for Chick-fil-A-Plus (or whatever the streaming service would be called).