Canada’s Rogers orders 11 unscripted originals for HGTV, Food Network brands

Property Brothers: Commitment Issues for HGTV

Canada’s Rogers Sports & Media (RSM) has commissioned 11 unscripted originals for its Food Network and HGTV brands, including an adaptation of Come Dine with Me produced by Blink49.

The new green lights, spanning around 120 hours of original unscripted content, mark the first time RSM has commissioned a slate of originals under the Food Network and HGTV cable brands since acquiring the trademark and licensing rights to those rights last year.

RSM ordered three shows from Drew and Jonathan Scott’s production company Scott Brothers Entertainment for HGTV.

Property Brothers: Commitment Issues (working title, 14×60′), set to premiere in 2026, will see the Scott brothers help hesitant home buyers commit to a purchase by transforming it into their dream space. The Emily Michelle Project (8×60′) follows interior designer Emily Michelle as she steps in to help homeowners achieve their dream homes without breaking the bank. Top of the Block (40×30′) sees homeowners compete to prove their house is the best on the block and is distributed by Cineflix Rights.

RSM commissioned RTR Media to produce a pair of new shows for HGTV: Home Town Takeover Canada (8×60′) and The County (10×60′).

The former is a local adaptation of the US format, which airs on HGTV in the US and sees a small town undergoing a revitalisation, transforming homes, businesses and public spaces. It will go into production next year. The County, set to film this summer, follows designer Sarah Keenleyside as she uproots her family from Toronto to Prince Edward County, Ontario to build her home and design business from scratch.

Small Town Escapes with Colin & Justin, produced by Ocean Entertainment, also got the green light at HGTV. The 20×30′ project follows design duo Colin and Justin as they try to make dreams come true for homebuyers looking to escape from the city to a small town.

For Food Network, RSM commissioned a 60×30′ adaptation of the popular UK format Come Dine with Me, produced by John Morayniss’s Blink49 Studios. Based on the ITV Studios-owned format, the adaptation will follow five amateur chefs as they host dinner parties in their homes, showcasing culinary skills to impress their fellow contestants.

Other titles ordered for Food Network include Andy’s East Coast Kitchen Crawl (12×30′), Bake Master Battle (8×60′) and David Rocco’s Eating Dirty (13×30′).

Andy’s East Coast Kitchen Crawl, produced by Proper Television, sees chef and social media star Andy Hay exploring the essence of cooking on Canada’s east coast. Bake Master Battle, hosted by Dina Pugliese, sees three teams of elite bakers compete and showcase their confectionary skills in a series of challenges tied to season themes.

David Rocco’s Eating Dirty, produced Rockhead Entertainment banner, follows the celebrity chef as he sets off on a fearless food-fuelled journey through Italy’s vibrant cities, charming towns and seaside villages.

The newly commissioned series will join acquired US shows such as Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped on Food Network, and Celebrity IOU, Home Town and Rock The Block on HGTV.

In addition to airing on HGTV and Food Network, the newly greenlit shows will also stream on RSM’s Citvtv+.

RSM is set to hold a virtual upfront presentation on Tuesday.

“Whether it’s home renos, visually stunning culinary creations or inspiring home design, this robust and competitive slate builds on the foundation of what makes HGTV and Food Network so popular with viewers and offers unique opportunities for advertisers,” said Kale Stockwell, director of original programming at RSM.

Since launching its new specialty channels at the turn of the year, RSM has been unable to secure carriage deals with some of the country’s main cable providers, including Bell, meaning Food Network and HGTV are not yet available to some cable subscribers in Canada.

“We continue to work with all distribution partners to try and make this content as widely available as possible. We expect Canadians will want access to 115 hours of new original lifestyle Canadian programming through their TV providers,” said an RSM representative.