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Chick-fil-A isn’t just launching a streaming service — it’s a whole entertainment app

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Chick-fil-A isn’t just launching a streaming service — it’s a whole entertainment app

Chick-fil-A has revealed details on how it wants to be your one-stop-entertainment-but-also-chicken shop.

On Oct. 21, the chicken chain announced a new, free app called Chick-fil-A Play, which will come loaded with video content, games and more. The app launches on Nov. 18 and is designed for families to enjoy while eating a meal — ideally at Chick-fil-A, we wager.

Chick-fil-A says the app’s content will include the following:

  • Watch: Original animated shows, including “Legends of Evergreen Hills,” and “playful new adventures with the animated Chick-fil-A Cows,” designed in landscape format for watching on your device or cast to another viewing device.
  • Listen: “Kid-friendly” original scripted podcasts.
  • Play: Games, jokes and “conversation starters.”
  • Create: Video-based recipes and kid-friendly crafts.
  • Read: E-books and interactive stories.

CNBC reported a few more tidbits on content downloaders can expect: a 22-minute episode of the fantasy “Legends of Evergreen Hills,” starring adventurer Sam; the first episode of the scripted “Hidden Island,” podcast, based on a shipwrecked family surviving on a deserted island; and a cooking video that “uses a Chick-fil-A milkshake as a key ingredient.”

In 2021, Chick-fil-A produced a series of short, animated films called “Stories of Evergreen Hills,” a world that’s part of this new app as the seemingly upgraded “Legends of Evergreen Hills.”

Dustin Britt, executive director of brand strategy for Chick-fil-A, said in a press release that the app is a digital extension of the chain’s commitment to “hospitality and fun.”

Britt also told CNBC that the chicken chain found a connection between consuming content and enjoying a meal, and that’s part and parcel with the chain’s current efforts.

“We’ve been paying attention to some research and conversations we’ve had with families that are our customers, and insights bubbled up that content and games are both adjacent to mealtime,” he said.

Back in August, Deadline first reported that the fast-food chain was launching its own streaming platform along with a slate of original programming, including reality TV, scripted content and animation, as well as licensed and acquired content.

According to Deadline, this includes a “family-friendly” game show from Glassman Media, the production company behind NBC’s “The Wall,” as well as a 10-episode show from Sugar23, the production company behind “13 Reasons Why,” “The OA” and “True Detective.”

Sources told Deadline that the chain is thinking of a late 2024 launch.

But this isn’t the first time Chick-fil-A has gone down this type of programming path: Chick-fil-A is owned by the Cathy family, whose independently managed trust helped found Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. The studio frequently works with Marvel and is where “WandaVision,” “Agatha All Along” and “Ant-Man” were filmed.

Social media users, as you can imagine, have had plenty of jokes to make about the chicken chain’s latest venture into entertainment.

“Stream what? Shows about religion?” asked one Instagram user. (For context, Chick-fil-A’s founder S. Truett Cathy’s devout Christian beliefs have influenced many of the company’s values.)

“No because you’ll be off the air on Sundays,” joked another, wondering if the chain’s streaming service will mirror its restaurants’ closed-on-Sunday policy.

“Lemme guess, it’s all Chick Flicks?” joked one more.

“If Chik-fil-a can afford to spend millions of dollars on a streaming platform, they can afford to pay their workers a living wage,” posted one X user. (Chick-fil-A restaurants are individually owned and operated by franchisees; the average hourly rate for an employee is about $13.43.)

“I can see this as a cross between the hallmark channel and a worship network,” predicted one Reddit user. “As long as they’re not publicly traded they can do whatever they want with their money.”

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