FYI, the new A+E Networks cable channel set for a US launch in July, has unveiled its first slate of original programming, including three food shows, two property shows and a lifestyle makeover series.
Announcing the slate, Jana Bennett, president of FYI and sister channel LMN, said FYI, which replaces Bio in the A+E portfolio, “is scouring the globe for new talent and partnering with the industry’s top producers to commission thought-provoking and inspirational lifestyle content.”
The slate, added Bennett, the former BBC Worldwide Networks president who joined A+E last June, illustrates FYI’s “approach to a personalised experience for each viewer.”
FYI has ordered 16 half-hour episodes of The Epic Meal Show (working title), which has YouTube cooking star Harley Morenstein and his kitchen crew inventing new dishes. The series is produced by The Collective and Nexttime Productions.
Six one-hour episodes have been ordered of The Feed (working title), a hybrid talk/comedy show with Top Chef judge Gail Simmons. Giant Pirates is producing.
World Food Championships (6×60′) is a Las Vegas cooking competition from Sharp Entertainment with home cooks and professional chefs competing in several food categories.
Tiny House Nation (wt), a Loud TV production following the American trend of extreme downsizing, gets an order of ten one-hour episodes, as does Renovation Row (wt), a Jane Street Entertainment production that pits teams of renovation experts against each other.
B.O.R.N. to Style (10×60′), produced by Left/Right, has a Harlem boutique owner and his team giving fashion and lifestyle makeovers.
FYI also identified two unscripted development projects getting half-hour pilot orders.
Jennifer’s Way (wt), from Atlas Media, follows actress/entrepreneur Jennifer Esposito’s efforts to expand her New York gluten-free bakery.
And Red Hot Design (wt), from Cineflix Productions, centres on designer Shasta Smith and her California furniture and artworks business.
Bennett said last month she planned to commission 300 hours of original content for FYI this year and had 30 projects in the works.
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