Chick-Fil-A Streaming Service and Original Content In the Works

Chick-fil-A may be known as one of the masters of the fast-food chicken business – but what about as a media brand? In a move few would’ve guessed, Chick-fil-A has revealed plans to launch its own streaming platform, complete with a slate of original programming to populate it. Yes, you heard that correctly: Chick-fil-Ais getting into the streaming business alongside Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and all the others. 

According to trade reports “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.” That translates to family-friendly programming and reality shows being the primary focus of what Chick-fil-Ais developing in terms of originals – although there is mention that “there’s also talk of scripted projects and animation.”

The reports not that creators and production companies that are already developing content for Chick-fil-A’s platform – that list includes “a family-friendly gameshow from Glassman Media, the company behind NBC’s The Wall” – as well as a ten-episode order for a series from Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why executive producer Michael Suger and his Sugar23 imprint. Brian Gibson (Top Gear, The X Factor) is reportedly in charge of developing the programming; reported budgets for the shows sit about $400K for a half-hour program.

It will be interesting to see how Chick-fil-A brands this streaming service: Will it directly reflect the name and branding imagery of the restaurant? Or create an independent streaming platform brand, which is backed by the restaurant? 

The latter might be more shrewd than the former: Chick-fil-A is already something of a cultural lightning rod, given the strong religious beliefs of its founder, Samuel Truett Cathy (1921-2014), who was a devout Southern Baptist. That belief system dictates some considerable parts of Chick-fil-A’s business model – namely having restaurants closed on Sundays, as well as on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and promoting fish sandwiches during Lent. The biggest “controversy” was the company’s public opposition to same-sex marriages, which came to a head in the 2010s and resulted in Chick-fil-A revising its donation practices so as not to include certain groups that LGBTQ+ activists felt were discriminatory. There will be fair question as to whether or not the programming Chick-fil-A puts out doubles as promotion of its cultural values – which could end up being a strong hook for its marketing, or a major impediment to its growth potential. 

No official word on when the Chick-fil-A streaming service will be launching.