Food Network
Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group (which owns the remaining 31%). Despite this ownership structure, Warner Bros. Discovery has operating control of the channel, and manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both special and regular episodic programs about food and cooking.
This article is about the U.S. channel. For the Canadian version, see Food Network (Canadian TV channel). For other uses, see Food Network (disambiguation).Country
Worldwide
New York City, New York, United States
Food Network +1 (UK)
- Warner Bros. Discovery (69%)
- Nexstar Media Group (31%)
Television Food Network, G.P.
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- Adult Swim
- American Heroes Channel
- Animal Planet
- Boomerang
- Cartoon Network
- Cartoonito
- Cinemax
- CNN
- Cooking Channel
- The CW (12.5%)
- Destination America
- Discovery Channel
- Discovery en Español
- Discovery Family
- Discovery Familia
- Discovery Life
- HBO
- HGTV
- HLN
- Investigation Discovery
- Magnolia Network
- Motor Trend
- Oprah Winfrey Network
- Science Channel
- TBS
- TLC
- TNT
- Travel Channel
- TruTV
- Turner Classic Movies
November 23, 1993
TV Food Network (1993–97)
Channel 43
In addition to its headquarters in New York City, Food Network has offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Jersey City, Cincinnati, and Knoxville.
Food Network was established on November 23, 1993, 6:00 am as TV Food Network and in 1997, it adopted its current name. It was acquired by Scripps Networks Interactive; Scripps Networks Interactive later merged with Discovery, Inc. in 2018, and WarnerMedia was merged with Discovery, Inc. to form a single company, Warner Bros. Discovery. As of September 2018, 91 million households receive Food Network (98.6% of households with cable) in the United States.[1]
Carriage[edit]
Past American carriage disputes[edit]
On January 1, 2010, HGTV and Food Network were removed from cable provider Cablevision, which operates systems serving areas surrounding New York City. Scripps removed HGTV and Food Network from Cablevision following the expiration of the company's carriage contract on December 31, 2009; Cablevision and Scripps had been in negotiations for several months to agree on a new contract, but no progress had been made. The discontinuance of Food Network from Cablevision led the channel to make arrangements with Tribune-owned CW affiliates WPIX in New York City and WTXX in Hartford, Connecticut, to broadcast a special episode of Iron Chef America with First Lady Michelle Obama on January 10, 2010, after that episode enjoyed high ratings on its January 3 cable premiere.[18] On January 21, 2010, Cablevision and Scripps reached an agreement that resulted in Food Network and HGTV being restored on Cablevision's systems that day.[19]
A similar carriage dispute with AT&T U-verse resulted in Food Network, Cooking Channel, HGTV, DIY Network, and Great American Country being dropped by the provider on November 5, 2010;[20] the dispute was resolved two days later, on November 7, 2010, after the two parties reached a new carriage agreement.[21][22]
Food Network properties in video games[edit]
Red Fly Studio developed a video game for the Wii console in partnership with Food Network called Cook or Be Cooked. The game, which was published by Namco Bandai Games and was released on November 3, 2009, simulates real cooking experiences.[23][24] Players can also try out the recipes featured on the game. There is also a video game based on Iron Chef America entitled Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine.[25] The PC game Cooking Simulator also has extended downloadable content branded with Food Network, including a kitchen which resembles a Food Network competitive cooking show's studio, complete with a studio audience section. This simulator was developed by Big Cheese studio and was released on October 24, 2019.[26]
International variants[edit]
UK and Ireland[edit]
In accordance with an agreement between Scripps and Chellomedia, Food Network programs started to air internationally in the fourth quarter of 2009 in the United Kingdom and then in other markets in early 2010.[27]
Food Network UK initially launched on the Sky platform as a free-to-air channel, joined by a +1 hour timeshift, taking the channel slots vacated by the closure of Real Estate TV. (Following Scripps' acquisition of Travel Channel International, the four channel positions on Sky were reordered to move Food Network up the grid.) Food Network and +1 were subsequently also made available on the Freesat satellite platform.
On terrestrial service Freeview, initially a four-hour primetime evening block was acquired, sharing capacity with channels including Create and Craft; subsequently Food Network relocated to its own full-day service, with the four-hour berth used to bring Travel Channel to DTT. (Travel has since itself moved to all-day operation, with the evening hours now absorbed into Create & Craft.) Scripps subsequently signed a carriage deal with Virgin Media to bring Food Network and Travel Channel to the cable platform (in Travel's case this was a re-addition following its earlier removal from the cable platform.)
In September 2019 it was announced that the former UKTV channel Good Food, which Discovery had acquired full control of earlier in the year, would be closed from September 12, 2019, with its content merged into Food Network UK.[28]
Elsewhere[edit]
Some countries have their own Food Network. Examples include: Food Network Canada, Food Network Asia, Food Network Italy and Food Network Europe. In the second half of 2014, Food Network Brazil began broadcasting with programs fully dubbed in Portuguese and optional subtitles.[29] On February 1, 2015, Food Network Asia launched on Australian IPTV service Fetch TV.[30][31] The channel launched in Latin America in March 2015 with full Spanish dubbed programs.
A localized free-to-air Australian version was launched on November 17, 2015 by SBS, which had a licensing and programming output arrangement with Scripps.[32] Another reiteration, the Seven Network's 7food network began broadcasting in December 2018 after SBS's deal ended in November 2018. After lower than expected ratings, 7food network closed on December 28, 2019, although select Food Network shows continued to air on sister network 7flix until December 1, 2020.
In Australia, Food Network currently screens on IPTV service Fetch on channel 136. [33]
On December 1, 2018, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific rebranded its Food TV channel in New Zealand to a New Zealand version of Food Network.[34] On February 3, 2021, Sky announced that Food Network would close in New Zealand and a selection of Food Network shows would be moved to its sister channel, Living. On March 1, 2021 the channel was replaced by Investigation Discovery.[35]
Food Network was available in the Netherlands and Flanders between April 22, 2010[36] and January 31, 2019. Content from former Scripps television channels Travel Channel, Fine Living and Food Network has been integrated into the programming of Discovery, TLC and Investigation Discovery in the Benelux.[37]
Television Food Network, G.P.[edit]
Founded in 1993, the company's business includes visual and textual television programs on a subscription or fee basis. In 2011, Scripps requested to add its Cooking Channel (formerly Fine Living Network) to the partnership, and Tribune agreed for $350 million, Tribune would need to add additional capital.[38]
Criticism[edit]
Consumerism and programming[edit]
While Food Network programming generally does not explicitly advertise products, author Cheri Ketchum argues that Food Network advertises a lifestyle that is consistent with the norms of consumer culture.[39] Ketchum argues that Food Network deliberately chooses non-controversial programming, rather than programming which challenges aspects of consumer culture such as food waste and environmental impacts of food production.[39] Critics of Food Network such as Michael Z. Newman argue that the use of lighting and close-ups, along with the use of conventionally attractive hosts, create a fetishization of desirable foods and a consumerist lifestyle.[40]
Racial representation[edit]
Critics complain of disproportionate racial representation in Food Network programming. Tasha Oren argues that the overrepresentation of Asian-Americans in competition shows on the network, along with the lack of representation of Asian-Americans as hosts of programs, contributes to the "model minority" stereotype of Asian-Americans.[41] However, Oren also offers the perspective that competition shows are viewed by network management as a low-risk entry point for hosts, especially those for whom a program may not be well received by audiences.[41]
