While it isn’t outright launching a streaming service, as industry trade publications reported earlier this summer, the fast-food giant is releasing an app called Chick-fil-A Play.
Going live Nov. 18, the app will feature family-friendly animated shows, scripted podcasts and e-books, among other forms of original content, according to an announcement from the company. This is a separate app from the Atlanta-based company’s existing one, on which customers can order food ahead of time or earn points for purchases.
Dustin Britt, the chain’s executive director of brand strategy, said in a written statement that hospitality and fun have always been “at the core of the Chick-fil-A family experience.”
“The Chick-fil-A Play App is a digital extension of that experience and another way we’re reimagining ‘play’ for our guests, in a unique way through entertainment that really encourages time together,” Britt said in the statement.
This is not Chick-fil-A’s first venture into producing its own entertainment, but it’s certainly its largest and most ambitious plan yet. The company previously produced content for its website, including “Stories of Evergreen Hills,” a series of short animated films released during the holiday season. It also produces games and puzzles under its Pennycake brand.
The chicken chain’s ties to entertainment go beyond producing branded, in-house content. Chick-fil-A Chairman Dan Cathy, father to current CEO Andrew Cathy, is a majority owner of Trilith Studios, the largest production facility in the state of Georgia and one of the biggest in the nation, and creator of Town at Trilith, its neighboring mixed-use development.
It is unclear if this app is the full extent of Chick-fil-A’s ventures into original content. But it’s possible the chain — and other restaurant and even retail brands — could dive further into launching platforms that serve as a vehicle for branded content. Within the past year, coffee giant Starbucks and luxury conglomerate LVMH have both launched production companies.
