Scripps to develop shows for Facebook Watch

Scripps Networks Interactive’s digital production division is set to develop lifestyle shows for Facebook’s recently unveiled Watch platform.

Scripps Lifestyle Studios will produce shows inspired by popular Food Network, HGTV, and Travel Channel content, as well as shows created exclusively for Facebook. These will appear on Facebook Watch as well as through individual show pages, which Facebook users can follow.

A number of these show pages are already live, including the Food Network-related : Sweet Side of Life; Food Network Finds; and Experimental Eats.

Easy, Medium, Boss is a recipe show by online food publication Spoon University, which Scripps acquired in the spring. Meanwhile, GK Now is a new weekly show from Scripps Lifestyle Studios’ newest digital brand, Genius Kitchen.

Travel Channel-related content for Facebook includes: The Real, a show about “the real story” behind popular travel destinations; Big City, Little Budget, a show about living frugally in the US; and One Bag and You’re Out, which designed to give packing inspiration.

The HGTV-related line-up includes: Grown Up Goals, a show about “the basics of adulting”; home décor show The Find and the Fix; and DIY contest Clash of the Crafters.

“Our digital strategy to reach younger audiences with original inspirational and aspirational content is a perfect fit for Watch,” said Vikki Neil, general manager of Scripps Lifestyle Studios.

Henry Ahn, president of content distribution and marketing for Scripps Networks Interactive, added: “Shows on Facebook are a great complement to our efforts to engage passionate fans with compelling, premium content on every platform.”

Facebook launched Watch in August as a new platform for episodic programmes, marking a bigger push into original video. At the time Facebook said that Watch will initially roll out to a limited group of users in the US before becoming more widely available.