FYI (U.S. TV network)

FYI
Launched January 1, 1999 (1999-01-01)
Owned by A&E Networks
(Hearst Communications (50%)
Disney–ABC Television Group (50%))
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Downgraded to letterboxed 480i for SDTV feed
Slogan For Your Inspiration
Country United States
Language English
Broadcast area United States
Canada
Southeast Asia
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Headquarters Newark, New Jersey
Formerly called The Biography Channel (1999–2014)
Sister channel(s) Lifetime Movies[1]
Website fyi.tv
Availability
Satellite
Dish Network 119 (HD/SD)
DirecTV 266 (HD/SD)
1266 (VOD)
C-Band - H2H/4DTV AMC 18 - Channel 201
Cable
Verizon FiOS 629
129 (SD)
Available on many other U.S. cable systems Consult your local cable provider for channel availability
IPTV
AT&T U-verse 1272
272 (SD)
Streaming media
fuboTV OTT Subscription
Sling TV OTT Subscription

FYI (stylized as fyi,) is an American digital cable and satellite channel that is owned by A&E Networks, a cable network joint venture between the Disney–ABC Television Group subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Communications (each own 50%). The network features lifestyle programming, with a mix of reality, culinary, home renovation and makeover series.

The network originally launched in 1999 as The Biography Channel, as an offshoot of A&E and named after its television series Biography. As such, it originally featured factual programs, such as reruns of its namesake. As A&E shifted its focus towards reality television and drama series, the Biography Channel became the home for several series that had been displaced by the flagship network (including Biography itself), but shifted towards reality-oriented series itself in 2007 and was rebranded as simply Bio. In the middle of 2014, the channel was rebranded as FYI.

FYI is available to 69.0 million households in America as of January 2016.[2]

History

The Biography Channel

Original logo used from 1999 to 2001.
Second logo used from 2001 to 2007.
Third logo used from 2007 to 2014.

The channel was launched on January 1, 1999 as The Biography Channel. A&E Television Networks (now A+E Networks, and operated as a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company, the Hearst Corporation and NBC at the time) conceived the channel as an offshoot of the long-running A&E profile series Biography.[3] In addition to airing biographical shows, the network aired fictional, non-biographical programs that were previously seen on A&E, including Murder, She Wrote and Sherlock Holmes; the scripted programming was dropped from the channel in 2007.

On October 1, 2000, A&E Networks expanded its British partnership with British Sky Broadcasting with the launch of a UK market Biography Channel.[4]

In August 2006, The Biography Channel became the exclusive home for the Biography series, as it was dropped by A&E. 64 more hours of the show was order also for its first year only on the channel.[5] In 2007, Biography Channel unveiled a new on-air brand—identifying the network simply as "Bio".[3] The changes came as the network shifted its scope to de-emphasize traditional biographical programs in favor of “true stories about fascinating people”, such as the new series Shatner's Raw Nerve, hosted by actor William Shatner.[6]

The Biography Channel, or Bio, had been stagnating since A+E’s 2013 upfront presentation as little focus was placed upon it. Bio was generating 12 cents per subscribers from the video provider which is half the industry average. After tweaking the three main A+E channels, Bio averaged viewers of 91,000 adults 25-54 in prime compared to what A&E (716,000) and History (703,000) managed over the same period.[7] Jana Bennett was hired as president of LMN and Bio in June 2013 and, having transformed TLC from an educational channel to a lifestyle network, was considered an indication that adding a lifestyle channel to the A+E portfolio was a possibility. An opening in the genre occurred as the Style Network became the men-focused Esquire Network. While preparing to launch FYI, Bio began re-airing A&E’s house-flipping shows and 30 potential shows were placed in development.[1]

As FYI

The typeface FYI Sans that was created for the 2014 renaming

In December 2013, A+E Networks announced that The Biography Channel would be rebranded as FYI, a contemporary lifestyle network, starting in mid 2014.[8] By February, FYI had a slate of six new series including three food series, two home design series, and one style series. Other shows were also in development,[9] Two of the shows in development had pilot orders, Red Hot Design and Jennifer’s Way.[10] In April, Midnight Feast was greenlit for the new channel while 2 others were order to pilot, Say It To My Face and Reverse Course.[11]

With the June 2014 announcement of the January 2015 end of the ABC Owned Television Stations-run digital network Live Well Network, some of its programming was being offered to FYI, which shares partial ABC ownership.[12] The network launched on July 7, 2014 with a preview special, FYI: First Look, which featured previews of the network's new programming. The first of its new original series, Married at First Sight, premiered the next day.[13] Bio continues to exist as a website at the channel's former address of bio.com.

In January 2015, following the success of its Six Months Later special, FYI ordered Married at First Sight: The First Year.[14]

In January 2016, FYI named Paul Greenberg as their Executive Vice-President / General Manager.[15]

Programming

Current FYI programming

  • Epic Meal Empire (16 30-minutes episodes) produced by The Collective and Nexttime Productions based on the "Epic Meal Time" YouTube show.[9]
  • World Food Championships (six 1-hour episodes) coverage produced by Sharp Entertainment [9]
  • #BlackLove[16]
  • Tiny House Hunting[17]
  • Tiny House Nation[18]
  • Tiny House World[19]
  • B.O.R.N. to Style (ten 1-hour episodes) produced by Left/Right features style makeovers at the Harlem-based boutique, B.O.R.N. (Borrowed, Old, Refurbished, and New).[9]
  • Rowhouse Showdown, working title of Renovation Row, (ten 1-hour episodes) produced by Jane Street Entertainment in which three teams compete to increase the house and neighborhood value via the renovation of an "identical urban homes in dilapidated neighborhoods".[9][13]
  • Lost in Love[13]
  • Man vs Child: Chef Showdown
  • Kocktails with Khloé[20]
  • Best in Bridal[13]
  • Married at First Sight (1 hour casting special, 10 1-hour episodes) is based on a Danish show's format of the same name in which three couples paired up by four experts (Pepper Schwartz, Greg Epstein, Dr. Logan Levkoff and Dr. Joseph Cilona) agree to get married when they first meet.[13]
  • Married At First Sight: The First Year (January 15, 2015-)[21]
  • Zombie House Flipping follows Justin Stamper and his team of house renovators in Orlando, Florida.[22] A "Zombie House" is an industry term for a rundown home that is devaluing a neighborhood. Stamper and his team, Ashlee Casserly (realtor), Keith Ori (builder), and Peter Duke (designer), search for such homes and renovate them.[23][24] The show first aired on January 30, 2016, and ran for eight episodes.[25]
  • Scraps follows chef Joel Gamoran as he travels across the U.S. creating meals in unexpected places, using food waste and scraps.[26]
  • Plant-Based by Nafsika

Current other programming

In production

  • The Feed (six 1-hour episodes) produced by Giants Pirates with Top Chef judge Gail Simmons, The Taste judge Marcus Samuelsson and comedian and food-blogger Max Silvestri as a traveling road show looking into the American food culture and its new trends.[9] Originally, to be a launch program (on July 12, 2014), The Feed was pushed back to a summer start.[13]
  • Midnight Feast (six 1-hour episodes) produced by Nerd TV and hosted by Chef Spike Mendelsohn is a competitive cooking show in which 3 chefs use New York’s Chelsea Market as an ingredient source, where the winning chef gets a cash prize while the losers pay their grocery bills.[11]

In development

  • Red Hot Design (1/2-hour pilot), which features a team led by designer and artist Shasta Smith making upscale art and furniture from unusual materials and produced by Cineflix Productions.[10]
  • Jennifer’s Way (1/2-hour pilot), produced by Atlas Media which features Jennifer Esposito, an actress who entered the food business with a gluten-free bakery, Jennifer’s Way, which the audience will watch as she attempts to expand beyond the single NYC location into cookbooks, packaged goods and franchised locations.[10]
  • Say It To My Face (1-hour pilot) produced by Pie Town Productions in which restaurant owners and chefs and their online critics meet to defend their position. Then under the aid of co-hosts Andrew Gruel and Anthony Dispensa,[29] the restaurant gets a make over.[11]
  • Reverse Course (1 hour pilot) produced by Stick Figure Studios and hosted by chef and restaurateur Sam Talbot from the finished meal then going in reverse to cooking, preparation and local sourcing.[11]

Final Bio programming

Former Bio

  • Cold Case Files (repeats) profiles serial killers
  • Notorious, child murdering mothers[30]

International versions of Bio and FYI

Despite the relaunch, international versions of The Biography Channel continue to exist in some regions. An international version of The Biography Channel previously operated in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Israel, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, but has since been replaced by other channels. The Australian channel was closed in 2015. The Canadian version, operated under license by Rogers Media, was replaced by Viceland in February 2016.

  • Canada: As part of a licensing agreement with Shaw Media, their lifestyle channel, Twist TV, was rebranded as a Canadian version of FYI in September 2014.[31]
  • Latin America: The Latin American version airs the same programming and uses the same logo as the former U.S. flagship channel and it is operated by the HBO Latin America Group subsidiary of Time Warner under a brand licensing agreement with A&E Networks. In July 2014, The Biography Channel was replaced by H2.
  • The Biography Channel (UK and Ireland)
  • Spain and Portugal: Bio in Spain and Portugal was replaced by A&E in October 2014.[32]
  • Germany: Bio in Germany was replaced by A&E on 22 September 2014.[33]
  • Israel: Bio is known as ערוץ ביוגרפיה‬ in Israel. On 14 September 2014, the channel was replaced by Lifetime.[34]
  • FYI (South East Asia TV channel): Bio in South East Asia was replaced by Fyi on 6 October 2014.[35]
  • Bio. Australia: The channel was known as The Biography Channel, then as Bio. until it closed in November 2015.[36]

References

  1. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (December 11, 2013). "A+E Networks' Bio Renamed FYI As It Converts Into Lifestyle Network". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Cable Network Coverage Area Household Universe Estimates: January 2016".
  3. 1 2 Nededog, Jethro (December 11, 2013). "A&E Networks Rebranding Bio Channel to Lifestyle Channel FYI". The Wrap. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ Wilkes, Neil (September 22, 2000). "Sky confirms Biography Channel". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ Dempsey, John (June 5, 2006). "'Biography' rewrite". Variety. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  6. ↑ Zeitchik, Steven (January 16, 2007). "Shatner to interview celebrities". Variety. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  7. ↑ Thielman, Sam (December 11, 2013). "Bio to Rebrand as FYI, a 'Contemporary Lifestyle' Network". Ad Week. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 27, 2014). "FYI Unveils Primetime Lineup For July Premiere". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "FYI Network Announces Lineup, Launch Date". February 26, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 Littleton, Cynthia (February 26, 2014). "Food, Home Renovation Shows on Menu for A+E's FYI Launch". Variety. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Steinberg, Brian (April 30, 2014). "A+E's New FYI Network Makes Bigger Bet On Cooking Series". Variety. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  12. ↑ Malone, Michael (June 9, 2014). "ABC to Discontinue Live Well Network". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gibbons, Kent (July 7, 2014). "A+E's BIO Converts to FYI". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  14. ↑ Massabrook, Nicole. "'Married At First Sight: The First Year' To Follow Jamie, Doug, Cortney And Jason; Spinoff To Premiere In 2015". International Business Times. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  15. ↑ Nylon CEO Paul Greenberg to Head FYI Network
  16. ↑ Dugan, Christina (October 26, 2015). "5 Women Embark on Journey to Find Their Soulmates in FYI's #BlackLove". People. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  17. ↑ "FYI Renews 'Tiny House Nation' For Second Season; Greenlights 'Tiny House Hunting'". Deadline Hollywood. September 3, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  18. ↑ Boone, Lisa (July 8, 2014). "'Tiny House Nation' premieres Wednesday on A&E's new FYI network". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  19. ↑ "FYI Adds New Original Series "Tiny House World" to Hit Micro-Living Franchise". The Futon Critic (Press release). October 14, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  20. ↑ Mizoguchi, Karen (December 15, 2015). "First Look at Khloé Kardashian's New Talk Show Kocktails with Khloé – 'The Happiest Hour on TV!'". People. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  21. ↑ Massabrook, Nicole (December 11, 2014). "'Married At First Sight: The First Year' Spoilers: Premiere Date Revealed; What Have Doug, Jamie, Jason And Cortney Been Up To?". International Business Times. IBT Media Inc. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  22. ↑ Gleiter, Sue (5 February 2016). "Hummelstown native stars on 'Zombie House Flipping' reality show". PennLive.com. PA Media Group. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  23. ↑ Shanklin, Mary. "Orlando-based reality TV show Zombie House Flipping launches". The Orlando Sentinel. The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  24. ↑ "USM alum featured in new FYI TV series". Hattiesburgamerican.com. Hattiesburg American. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  25. ↑ Robinson, Charlinda (26 January 2016). "The 'Zombie House Flipping' Crew Remodels The Most Challenging Homes They Can Find". Inquisitr. The Inquisitr News. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  26. ↑ Joe Otterson, "FYI Partners With Sur La Table on Culinary Series With Katie Couric Producing," Variety, April 18, 2017.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 Goldberg, Lesley (December 11, 2013). "A+E Rebrands Bio as Lifestyle Network FYI". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  28. 1 2 3 Poggi, Jeanine (December 11, 2013). "A&E Rebrands Bio Channel as FYI, a Broad Lifestyle Network". Ad Age. Crain Communications. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  29. ↑ Redcarpetcrash.com Archived April 7, 2015, at Archive.is
  30. ↑ Gildemeister, Christopher (October 16, 2006). "Exposing Sex, Violence, and Language in the Media". Culture Watch. The Parents Television Council. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  31. ↑ "New FYI channel debuts in Canada on Sept. 1". August 1, 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  32. ↑ "Canal A& chega a Portugal e traz "Wahlburgers" :: Notícia :: SAPO TV". sapo.pt.
  33. ↑ Editor. "BIO rebrands as A&E in German-speaking Europe, Iberia, Africa". Rapid TV News.
  34. ↑ "Bio to rebrand to Lifetime in Israel". Digital TV Europe. 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2015-01-23.
  35. ↑ "A+E Networks Asia Rebrands Bio Channel to FYI in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan (Press Release) Pinoy Adventurista". pinoyadventurista.com.
  36. ↑ Knox, David (23 September 2015). "Bio channel to close on Foxtel". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
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