Topline
Chick-fil-A appears to be venturing into the streaming market, as it looks to hire a producer for a new entertainment app that will offer original programming unrelated to the fast food chain’s brand or products.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 05: A Chick-fil-A restaurant is seen on July 05, 2022 in Houston, Texas. A new … [+]
Key Facts
The “soon-to-be launched” PLAY app was revealed in a job listing for an “Entertainment Producer” first found on the company’s website by Tennessee TV station WVLT.
The app promises to offer original entertainment “not necessarily about Chick-fil-A products or the Chick-fil-A brand,” according to the job listing.
The app will likely have a family-friendly focus, and “may include scripted podcasts and audio adventures, original animation, reality and game shows, and other live-action scripted or non-scripted programming,” according to the job listing.
The company is looking for a producer with five to six years of experience as a showrunner or head writer in various forms of entertainment—from game shows to kids series.
Forbes has reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment.
What We Don’t Know
The company has not announced a launch date—or much else. Outside of the job listing, Chick-fil-A has not made any formal announcement about PLAY.
Key Background
Chick-fil-A, owned by the Atlanta-based Cathy family and best known for its fried chicken sandwiches, has experimented with several new entertainment ventures in recent years. Since 2019, the company has released an annual animated film for the holidays. And just this year, under the leadership of CEO Andrew Cathy, who took the reins in 2021, Chick-fil-A started manufacturing children’s puzzles and games under the new Pennycake brand. But while details are sparse, Chick-fil-A’s new service would enter a saturated, highly competitive streaming industry facing mounting challenges like tough-to-predict subscriber growth and shaky profit margins. It’s also not the only company seeking to expand its brand into the entertainment industry—toy companies like Mattel and Hasbro, for instance, both saw success with blockbuster movies Barbie and Dungeons & Dragons.
Tangent
The chain has at times had a complicated image. Its charitable foundation has faced scrutiny for donations to groups criticized for being anti-LGBTQ. And former CEO Dan Cathy faced criticism for his past comments opposing same-sex marriage. But in 2019, the company’s charitable arm, the Chick-fil-A Foundation, announced it was stopping its controversial donations, and would instead focus its charitable efforts on a smaller number of organizations dealing with homelessness, hunger and education. That decision drew the ire of some conservative pundits.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesfarrell/2023/11/28/is-chick-fil-a-launching-a-streaming-app-job-posting-reveals-original-tv-plans/