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First Look: Scripps Networks’ brand new Cooking Channel is served up.
The Food Network sister channel, Cooking Channel, launches today in the US in over 50 million homes, with a combination of new and acquired shows. Food Network fans will enjoy a wide array of cross channel familiar faces, as Scripps takes advantage of its powerhouse of celebrity foodie talent, including first name phenoms Rachel, Bobby, Jamie, and Giada.
I should say that I am pretty biased when it comes to food on TV. Besides being a hardcore Food Network fan, I’ve spent many months working in Knoxville with the folks at Scripps in years past, and their love of their brands (and the lifestyle thing that comes with it) is pretty darn genuine.
Cooking Channel GM, Michael Smith (10+ year veteran of Food Network) explains, “Cooking Channel is the new destination for today’s food lover. The goal is to satisfy their craving for more information, rich experiences, tantalizing ideas, and a total immersion into the world of cooking and eating through this lineup of inspiring, entertaining and informational shows.”
The new network replaces Fine Living Network, and will get a big marketing push in the fall to coincide with a new slate of programming. Scripps, sensing an opportunity in the marketplace, plans to fast track On Demand and High Definition versions of the new channel. The OSP/brand identity was helmed by Trollback, with launch image spots developed by Leroy + Clarkson.
Channel adjacency on DirecTV and Dish Network dials will push viewers back and forth between the channels, encouraging more cross channel play and promotional opportunity. The new channel, which planned to debut in the fall, got an accelerated launch schedule to coincide with Memorial Day in the USA.
And for any Brits out there, you may recognize a few familiar faces including the ever so calming Rachel Allen, cult favourites the Two Fat Ladies (Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright) and my personal food diva, Nigella Lawson.
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Click keep reading to see Scripps President John Lansing share his thoughts on the new network from the Cable Show in Los Angeles. (via beet.tv)
Art & Business of Motion 
Big Food Network fan, but not sure if I like the new look. Guess I’ll need some time to get adjusted to it.
Been waiting for this new network with baited breath since I first heard about it. I love Rachel Allen!
Is it me, or does this new on-air package look like Fine Living 2.0? I’m probably just being a little paranoid, but seriously?
The new look is remarkably similar to other Trollbäck creations, most notably their work for TV3 Sweden last year:
http://www.trollback.com/plus/18/
First of all I have to say that I love cooking. When I hear about cooking channel, I got super excited that finally someone make a channel that I wanna watch. Since food network don’t do good cooking shows anymore. But the branding feels very dry and boring, it’s so hard to watch. When I think about cooking…I think passion, soul, fun, joyful, togetherness and experimental. I don’t see any of these in their branding. I feel like they are trying to make their brand so stiff that people can’t relate to.
I don’t see any emotion in the typography. Looking at the type makes me feel like I’m watching the news. And what’s with that bar? What does it mean? Why does it moves so mechanically and lifeless? The artificial neon colors. Are they food related colors? No. Are they party colors? Not really. Do I think about these colors when I’m cooking? Absolutely not.
Bottom line they need to change the branding. It’s not what cooking is all about.