The ‘Fixer Upper’ duo is also launching a standalone app with original content and specialized workshops.
After a smooth launch with Discovery +’s debut in January, Chip and Joanna Gaines’ new Magnolia Network is solidifying the rest of their launch. The full slate will be launched digitally at Discovery + on July 15 – with the official linear network launching in January 2022.
The two dates come in the wake of delays related to the Magnolia pandemic, which had to end production of all the original series as soon as it solidified its ambitious launch plan. In addition to launching on Discovery +, where it already predicted new series such as the reboot of Top fastener and Magnolia table with Joanna Gaines, Magnolia is getting its own standalone application. The platform, available to Discovery + subscribers at no additional cost, will house both Top fastener library and a list of original workshops (a kind of MasterClass for artisans) and links to shopping. The application will also be launched on July 15.
“From the beginning, our goal with Magnolia Network is to tell good stories,” said Chip and Joanna Gaines. “Stories that unite us, that inspire and encourage us all to try something new. Stories that are told in ways that seem authentic. Our plan has evolved along the way, but our original vision for this network has remained the same. And it is our continuous desire to create a space, whether in a streaming environment, or on linear television, where people who watch a program on our network leave with the feeling that it was a time well spent. To that end, ahead of next year’s linear launch, we are excited to continue our partnership with Discovery + by launching Magnolia, a fully immersive digital brand experience. “
Digitally, the launch of the network will include the first full seasons of Fixer Upper: Welcome Home and Magnolia table with Joanna Gaines, in addition to new efforts Growing Floret, The Lost Kitchen, Homegrown, Family Dinner and Restoration Road with Clint Harp and more. These series, along with other projects to undergo development, will be launched in January – along with the Top fastener library and new seasons of DIY favorites transitioning from the old network.
“We are excited to deliver our ambitious joint vision with Chip and Joanna to offer fans better programming and a more engaging Magnolia media ecosystem,” said David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery, Inc. “Specialized home builders, fans and brands, Chip and Jo will help us build the most complete real-life TV experience anywhere, with the discovery and growth of their Magnolia offering for more than 150 hours of premium non-script content paired with an immersive ‘see and do’, and next year, a linear channel. Together, we will supply legions of existing Chip and Jo fans, as well as new ones, in ways that go beyond our highest expectations when we start this incredible journey. “
Discovery + and Magnolia are top priorities for Discovery, Inc. in 2021. The streaming effort, launched in January, serves as a hub for the broad array of cable channels – many of them in the lifestyle arena and all of them, except OWN, exclusively non-fiction. Announced in 2019, Magnolia was originally planned for a launch in 2020 – but, like most ambitious projects underway last year, efforts have been reduced by COVID-19.
“Our original plan was to launch on the cable and continue in a streaming environment, but the less conventional of the years has brought us challenges and opportunities that we could never have anticipated,” said Magnolia Network President Allison Page, who also spoke with THR in August, about how the new platform was turning during the pandemic. We turned this plan upside down – and in doing so, we had an excellent opportunity to share a robust preview of the Magnolia Network with an audience we were so eager to share our work with. And while the moment of our plan has changed, our consistent and constant mission since the first day remains the same: to create unique, attractive and inspiring content that reflects and incorporates the Magnolia brand that consumers know and love. This complete vision will be completed in January 2022 with the launch of the linear network. As Chip and Jo said from the start, there are so many stories waiting to be told and we can’t wait to share them. “