Chick-fil-A cooking up new “family-friendly” video streaming service

Fatesrider

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My guess is they will target customers who think Disney has become too “woke.” There are actually lots of companies that sell homeschooling resources to more insular groups of conservatives and have been successful with it.

But the last thing I remember like that was Veggietales, which I think was pretty low quality. Moralizing stories rarely make good art.

I also question Chik-fil-a’s competence to do this. Rule #1 for starting a new product line is to choose something that can make use of your existing strengths, and it’s hard for me to see any connection between what CFA is good at and launching and running a streaming service.
Given the amount they're paying per hour, I'd expect the quality to be roughly equivalent to a sunday church sermon dressed up in South Park graphics without any of the humor or wit.

There are a lot of places I won't shop simply because it enables repressive, religious conservative ideology.

Pluck them...
 
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38 (55 / -17)

ChipotleCoyote

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I can't predict the success, but the play is "a streaming channel that parents can just turn on and not worry about what their kids will encounter"
C'mon. I'm sure most of the programming won't be explicitly religious, but let's not pretend that it's not going to be targeted at parents who are "worried their kids will encounter" programming that suggests radical ideas like "some people are gay and that is okay" and "America has historically had a tiny problem with racism" and "transgender people exist".
 
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95 (107 / -12)

spacespektr

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I also question Chik-fil-a’s competence to do this. Rule #1 for starting a new product line is to choose something that can make use of your existing strengths, and it’s hard for me to see any connection between what CFA is good at and launching and running a streaming service.

Maybe they bought the assets of Chicken Soup for the Soul (aka Redbox)?
 
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27 (27 / 0)
I also question Chik-fil-a’s competence to do this. Rule #1 for starting a new product line is to choose something that can make use of your existing strengths, and it’s hard for me to see any connection between what CFA is good at and launching and running a streaming service.
Nah, super easy, barely an inconvenience -- end each episode with a cliffhanger whose resolution is in included in one of their meal deals.
 
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EthanClark

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8
I fully expect their shows to be full of bigotry and/or "anti-woke" horseshit, given the company history and their customer base. No fucking thanks.
I don't think their content will include LGBTQ+ characters or themes, but I don't expect their shows to be bigoted either. They literally employ a VP of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Yes, talk is cheap, but so is basic decency, and they've broken their cardinal rule to help the LGBTQ+ community before.

I expect their content to be like the many media projects they've already put out: extremely inoffensive, unless you're offended by trash talking burger joints.
 
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Plot twist: first show is about a family business trying to make lollipops that taste like fried chicken, called Cocksuckers
OMG that was harsh. I love it. Can't wait until their stream gets hijacked, ala this movie I saw as a kid, 'Used Cars'. Be sure to put plenty of bouncing tits in there.
 
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-2 (6 / -8)

EthanClark

Smack-Fu Master, in training
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Weird. I didn’t know they had the capital to make original programming. These services are money losers.
They tend to make quite a bit of money, actually. The company almost certainly have the capital to fund it, and I would not be surprised if they're treating this as an advertisement for their stores and don't care if they lose some money. (They might not even charge for the content, who knows?)
 
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14 (15 / -1)

Rainywolf

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C'mon. I'm sure most of the programming won't be explicitly religious, but let's not pretend that it's not going to be targeted at parents who are "worried their kids will encounter" programming that suggests radical ideas like "some people are gay and that is okay" and "America has historically had a tiny problem with racism" and "transgender people exist".
Correct. Look at the shows Gibson is already producing. One of them "Studio C" is literally SNL but from Brigham Young University (an ultra Christian University). The troupe name is "Divine Comedy". It airs on the already established "family" cable network BYUtv. Which is owned and operated by Brigham Young University.

It will be a lot of ignoring people and problems they don't like. While conveniently stopping to "pray" it out before every ad break. At least at first. If it actually catches on they'll become more overt in the things they hate.
 
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31 (37 / -6)
I don't think their content will include LGBTQ+ characters or themes, but I don't expect their shows to be bigoted either. They literally employ a VP of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Yes, talk is cheap, but so is basic decency, and they've broken their cardinal rule to help the LGBTQ+ community before.

I expect their content to be like the many media projects they've already put out: extremely inoffensive, unless you're offended by trash talking burger joints.
Thank You, that's exactly what I'm saying. If extremely inoffensive offends you then you won't like the channel. It will be hated for what's not there.
 
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-19 (21 / -40)

Jordan83

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I can't predict the success, but the play is "a streaming channel that parents can just turn on and not worry about what their kids will encounter"

Fact is, religion aside, there won't be a lot of objection to family oriented programming. I don't think there will be religious content but perhaps. So if it that's it, it will just be brainless and non-controversial. The only reason that someone would object would be "I won't watch that because it doesn't include "X"" in other words the content will be objectionable for what it doesn't include, not because of what it does include.

You say that, and that all sounds good, but...with this company, is religion ever aside? That might be the problem for a lot of people. And CFAs brand of religion isn't the "this is just a collection of stories about how to not be an asshole" brand of religion. It's quite a bit more extreme than that.
 
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saanaito

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I don't think their content will include LGBTQ+ characters or themes, but I don't expect their shows to be bigoted either. They literally employ a VP of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Yes, talk is cheap, but so is basic decency, and they've broken their cardinal rule to help the LGBTQ+ community before.

I expect their content to be like the many media projects they've already put out: extremely inoffensive, unless you're offended by trash talking burger joints.
I guess it's fine if they want to make milquetoast content to let kids slurp up or something. And the company's efforts to help people in need even when it goes against their grain is commendable. But there's a lot to be said for representation, as there's a subtle psychological harm to anyone who rarely or never sees themselves represented in the media they're exposed to.

Ultimately, what I expressed earlier in this thread is the result of cynicism, of mistrust. Because I used to be a part of a church. I used to be okay with Chik-fil-a. But I gradually saw more and more of what they do to people who don't fit their rigid standards, especially marginalized people. And then I discovered that I am one of those marginalized people, and almost as soon as I made that realization public, the church actively pushed me out. And they continue to root for (and even financially support) the kind of people who don't just dislike us - they want us imprisoned and dead.

So I hope you can understand if I bitterly assume that they will not just make content that "innocently" leaves us out of the picture, but that actively condemns us. Even if it's not done openly, I would bet there might be snide remarks that subtly steer the target audience.
 
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Jensen404

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My guess is they will target customers who think Disney has become too “woke.” There are actually lots of companies that sell homeschooling resources to more insular groups of conservatives and have been successful with it.

But the last thing I remember like that was Veggietales, which I think was pretty low quality. Moralizing stories rarely make good art.
The funny thing is, Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales, is hated by "anti-woke" conservatives. He speaks against Christian Nationalism, Trump/MAGA, "anti-woke", etc.
He made a couple of explainer videos about racial injustice in America.
 
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68 (68 / 0)
And will it work on Sundays?
The rumors are false: New York isn't forcing Chick-fil-A to open on Sundays
I overheard a rumor at my family Christmas party that seemed a little hard to believe: The state of New York was going to force all Chick-fil-A restaurants to remain open on Sundays.

But like many rumors, there was a lot more to the story.

Despite what Sen. Lindsey Graham and other Republican lawmakers have suggested, New York is not forcing Chick-fil-A to open on Sundays...

A bill proposed by New York lawmakers would require all restaurants contracted to operate at rest areas on the state highway system to be open seven days a week. The legislation applies to "food services at transportation facilities and rest areas owned and operated by certain public authorities," according to text submitted with the bill.

The purpose of the bill is to ensure that motorists have reliable access to food while traveling on state highways by requiring restaurants to be open daily...

However, the bill would not impact the vast majority of Chick-fil-A locations in the state. It would also not immediately apply to the existing locations that are already in rest areas to open on Sundays, as it is meant to impact "future contracts." ...
 
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NetMage

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I think the real question isn't how are they any better than their competitors at something so simple, it's "how are their competitors so bad at it?"
If you look into the care they take in making iced tea (including filtered water, custom tea blend, dedicated tea buyers and testers), you would realize they spend a lot of money on getting details right. It wouldn't surprise me if they do the same for their main product.

Sweating the details costs more, but makes all the difference in quality. Competitors don't sweat the details.
 
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This is actually a brilliant idea for them. While Ars will not be the target demographic for this service, if executed well, they could make a killing as a "wholesome" streaming service. Contrary to popular opinion here, in the minds of their demographic the opposite of "woke" is not "anti-woke" or "racist", it's just not woke.

This move will be interesting to watch unfold. They could create an entirely new income stream, flop, or even really damage their reputation.
To understand not woke, one would first have to define woke. Which inconveniently, you failed to do. As near as I can understand from usage of those who claim to be not woke, woke means insufficiently racist. (or more generally, insufficiently bigoted). So not woke would indeed mean racist.
 
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59 (68 / -9)
Some facts:

They make one of the best, if not the best fast food chicken sandwich.

Their customer service is 1000% better than any other fast food restaurant.

They could make millions of dollars just by opening on Sundays, but they refuse to ever do that. For any price.

The Hallmark Channel is consistently one of the top revenue makers in the industry.

There is a lot of echo-chamber denial in this forum.

Now the hard truth: the film/tv industry is about getting advertising in front of people who spend money. The demographic that this proposal is targeting is bigger and spends a lot more money than the demographic that was watching “The Acolyte.”

Yep, it's fair to call out their intolerance and decide not to give them any money because of it but they do make a great chicken sandwich.

If you dislike the company you're more likely to be taken seriously for criticizing what they get wrong, which does not include said sandwich.
 
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