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Discovery, Fixer Upper pair in network talks

Fixer Upper was a break-out show for HGTV, then owned by Scripps

Chip and Joanna Gaines, the husband-and-wife team behind hit HGTV home renovation series Fixer Upper, are set to make a return to TV after revealing talks with Discovery over the creation of their own network.

In an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last week, Chip Gaines joked that they had “signed a non-disclosure and it said, quote unquote, you can tell your mother, but that’s it.”

“So mom, I just wanted to make a quick announcement, we are coming back to television. You are going to get to see the kids grow up, you are going to see us, well maybe a six-month delay like the rest of the world, but we are excited to be back,” he added.

The couple’s company Magnolia later issued a statement confirming that the duo were “currently in the early stages of talking with Discovery about a lifestyle-focused media network for Magnolia.”

“The details surrounding this opportunity remain a work in progress, but together, our hope is to build a different kind of platform for unique, inspiring and family-friendly content,” said Magnolia spokesman John Mariscano.

According to Deadline in the US, Discovery also corroborated the discussions, saying the parties were in “exclusive talks… working out the final details.”

The Gaines’ had taken a break from TV following the culmination of the fifth and final season of Fixer Upper, which aired in late 2017. Produced by High Noon Entertainment, Fixer Upper was one of the break-out shows for home improvement reality network HGTV, then owned by Scripps Networks Interactive.

Scripps has since been taken over by Discovery,and Chip Gaines said discussions with Discovery had gone to the top.

“So we actually partnered with Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Discovery, we’re actually going to have a network, and I think we’re going to really carve it out in a way that makes sense to us and our family,” he told Fallon. “It’s going to be filmed a lot in Waco, Texas, so we don’t have to travel a whole lot. So with all things being equal, we’re really excited.”

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