American pay television channel
Television channel
FYI
(stylized as
fyi,
) is an American
basic cable
channel owned by
A&E Networks
, a
joint venture
between the
Disney Entertainment
subsidiary of
The Walt Disney Company
and
Hearst Communications
(each owns 50%). The network features lifestyle programming, with a mix of
reality
, culinary, home renovation and makeover series.
The network originally launched in 1998 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 2014, the channel was rebranded as FYI.
As of November 2023
[update]
, FYI is available to approximately 35,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2015 peak of 73,000,000 households.
[2]
In recent years, FYI has lost carriage with the growth of streaming alternatives and has generally been depreciated by A&E Networks in current retransmission consent negotiations with cable and streaming providers.
History
[
edit
]
The Biography Channel
[
edit
]
The channel was launched on November 16, 1998, as The Biography Channel by A&E Television Networks, which conceived the channel as an offshoot of the long-running
A&E
profile series
Biography
.
[3]
[4]
On October 1, 2000, A&E Networks expanded its British partnership with
British Sky Broadcasting
with the launch of a UK market Biography Channel.
[5]
In August 2006, The Biography Channel became the exclusive home for the
Biography
series, as it was dropped by A&E. Another 64 hours of the show was ordered for its first year on the channel.
[6]
In 2007, Biography Channel unveiled a new on-air brand?identifying the network simply as "Bio".
[4]
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 series
Shatner's Raw Nerve
, hosted by
William Shatner
.
[7]
Bio had been stagnating since
A+E's
2013
upfront presentation
as little focus was placed upon it. Bio was generating 12 cents per subscriber from the
video provider
, about half the industry average.
[
citation needed
]
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.
[8]
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 (2014?present)
[
edit
]
In December 2013, A+E Networks announced that The Biography Channel would be rebranded as FYI, a contemporary lifestyle network, starting in mid 2014.
[9]
By February, FYI had a slate of six new series including three food series, two home design series, and one style series, with other shows also in development,
[10]
including pilot orders of
Red Hot Design
and
Jennifer's Way
.
[11]
In April,
Midnight Feast
was
greenlit
for the new channel while two others?
Say it to my face
and
Reverse Course?
were ordered to pilot.
[12]
With the June 2014 announcement of the 2015 end of the
ABC Owned Television Stations
-run subscription network
Live Well Network
, some of its programming was being offered to FYI, which shared partial ABC ownership.
[13]
The network launched on July 7, 2014, with a preview special,
FYI: First Look
, featuring previews of the network's new programming. Its first new original series,
Married at First Sight
, premiered the next day.
[14]
In January 2015, following the success of its
Six Months Later
special, FYI ordered
Married at First Sight: The First Year
.
[15]
[16]
Programming
[
edit
]
Current programming
[
edit
]
Former FYI
[
edit
]
- Epic Meal Empire Today
? produced by The Collective and Nexttime Productions, based on the
Epic Meal Time
YouTube show.
[10]
It was renamed to its current name in 2020.
- World Food Championships
? coverage produced by Sharp Entertainment
[10]
- #BlackLove
[19]
- Tiny House Hunting
[20]
- Tiny House World
[21]
- B.O.R.N. to Style
? produced by Left/Right; features style makeovers at the Harlem-based boutique, B.O.R.N. (Borrowed, Old, Refurbished, and New).
[10]
- Rowhouse Showdown ?
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".
[10]
[14]
- Lost in Love
[14]
- Man vs Child: Chef Showdown
- Best in Bridal
[14]
- Married at First Sight
? based on a Danish show 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.
[14]
- Married At First Sight: The First Year
(January 15, 2015)
[22]
- Zombie House Flipping
? follows Justin Stamper and his team of house renovators in
Orlando, Florida
.
[23]
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.
[24]
[25]
The show first aired on January 30, 2016, and ran for eight episodes.
[26]
It has continued for five seasons, through 2022.
[27]
- Scraps
? follows chef
Joel Gamoran
as he travels across the U.S. creating meals in unexpected places, using
food waste
and scraps.
[28]
- Plant-Based by Nafsika
- Waterfront House Hunting
[29]
- Miss USA
- Miss Universe
- Sell This House!
[30]
- Food Factory
- Celebrity House Hunting
[31]
In production
[
edit
]
| This section needs to be
updated
.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
June 2019
)
|
- The Feed
? 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.
[10]
Originally to be a launch program (on July 12, 2014),
The Feed
was pushed back to a summer start.
[14]
- Midnight Feast
? produced by Nerd TV and hosted by Chef
Spike Mendelsohn
; a competitive cooking show in which three 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.
[12]
In development
[
edit
]
- Red Hot Design
? features a team led by designer and artist Shasta Smith making upscale art and furniture from unusual materials and produced by Cineflix Productions.
[11]
- Jennifer's Way
? produced by
Atlas Media
; features
Jennifer Esposito
, an actress who entered the food business with a gluten-free bakery, as she attempts to expand beyond the single NYC location into cookbooks, packaged goods and franchised locations.
[11]
- Say It To My Face
? produced by Pie Town Productions; 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,
[32]
the restaurant gets a makeover.
[12]
- Reverse Course
? 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.
[12]
Final Bio programming
[
edit
]
Former Bio
[
edit
]
International versions of Bio and FYI
[
edit
]
Despite the relaunch, international versions of The Biography Channel 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 relaunched as
Viceland
in February 2016, but was then shut down on March 31, 2018.
- 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.
[34]
It was shut down on December 31, 2019.
- Latin America: The Latin American version aired the same programming and used the same logo as the former U.S. flagship channel and it was 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
.
- United Kingdom: A British version of Bio was launched on 1 October 2000 and ceased operations on 4 November 2013, being replaced by a British version Lifetime. The channel was also available in Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
- Spain and Portugal: Bio in Spain and Portugal was replaced by
A&E
in October 2014.
[35]
- Germany: Bio in Germany was replaced by
A&E
in September 2014.
[36]
- Israel: Bio is known as
???? ????????
in Israel. In September 2014, the channel was replaced by
Lifetime
.
[37]
- Bio in South East Asia
was replaced by FYI in October 2014.
[38]
FYI was shut down on 1 July 2019.
- India:
FYI TV18
was launched in July 2016 as the second channel in the partnership between A&E Networks and
TV18
, the first being
History TV18
. The network was closed on July 8, 2020.
[39]
- Bio. Australia
: The channel was known as The Biography Channel, then as Bio., until it closed in November 2015.
[40]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Andreeva, Nellie (December 11, 2013).
"A+E Networks' Bio Renamed FYI As It Converts Into Lifestyle Network"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
December 12,
2013
.
- ^
"U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 ? 2023"
.
wrestlenomics.com
. May 14, 2024
. Retrieved
July 28,
2019
.
- ^
"A&E unveils digital networks"
(PDF)
.
BROADCASTING & CABLE
. November 16, 1998. p. 56
. Retrieved
August 8,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Nededog, Jethro (December 11, 2013).
"A&E Networks Rebranding Bio Channel to Lifestyle Channel FYI"
.
The Wrap
. Retrieved
July 7,
2014
.
- ^
Wilkes, Neil (September 22, 2000).
"Sky confirms Biography Channel"
.
Digital Spy
. Retrieved
August 12,
2014
.
- ^
Dempsey, John (June 5, 2006).
"
'Biography' rewrite"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
March 23,
2017
.
- ^
Zeitchik, Steven (January 16, 2007).
"Shatner to interview celebrities"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
December 12,
2013
.
- ^
Thielman, Sam (December 11, 2013).
"Bio to Rebrand as FYI, a 'Contemporary Lifestyle' Network"
.
Ad Week
. Retrieved
July 7,
2014
.
- ^
Bibel, Sara (May 27, 2014).
"FYI Unveils Primetime Lineup For July Premiere"
.
TV by the Numbers
(Press release). Archived from
the original
on May 27, 2014
. Retrieved
May 27,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"FYI Network Announces Lineup, Launch Date"
. February 26, 2014
. Retrieved
July 7,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
Littleton, Cynthia (February 26, 2014).
"Food, Home Renovation Shows on Menu for A+E's FYI Launch"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
August 11,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Steinberg, Brian (April 30, 2014).
"A+E's New FYI Network Makes Bigger Bet On Cooking Series"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
August 11,
2014
.
- ^
Malone, Michael (June 9, 2014).
"ABC to Discontinue Live Well Network"
.
Broadcasting & Cable
. NewBay Media
. Retrieved
August 1,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Gibbons, Kent (July 7, 2014).
"A+E's BIO Converts to FYI"
.
Multichannel News
. NewBay Media
. Retrieved
August 11,
2014
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 13, 2016).
"Nylon CEO Paul Greenberg to Head FYI Network"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
February 15,
2019
.
- ^
"FYI - TV Listings Guide"
.
- ^
Boone, Lisa (July 8, 2014).
"
'Tiny House Nation' premieres Wednesday on A&E's new FYI network"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
January 19,
2016
.
- ^
Dugan, Christina (October 26, 2015).
"5 Women Embark on Journey to Find Their Soulmates in FYI's
#BlackLove
"
.
People
. Retrieved
January 19,
2016
.
- ^
"FYI Renews 'Tiny House Nation' For Second Season; Greenlights 'Tiny House Hunting'
"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. September 3, 2014
. Retrieved
January 19,
2016
.
- ^
"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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
Gleiter, Sue (February 5, 2016).
"Hummelstown native stars on 'Zombie House Flipping' reality show"
.
PennLive.com
. PA Media Group
. Retrieved
April 23,
2016
.
- ^
Shanklin, Mary (January 29, 2016).
"Orlando-based reality TV show Zombie House Flipping launches"
.
The Orlando Sentinel
. Retrieved
April 14,
2016
.
- ^
"USM alum featured in new FYI TV series"
.
Hattiesburgamerican.com
. Hattiesburg American. January 28, 2016
. Retrieved
April 23,
2016
.
- ^
Robinson, Charlinda (January 26, 2016).
"The 'Zombie House Flipping' Crew Remodels The Most Challenging Homes They Can Find"
.
Inquisitr
. The Inquisitr News
. Retrieved
April 23,
2016
.
- ^
"Zombie House Flipping"
.
Internet Movie Database
. Retrieved
January 15,
2023
.
- ^
Joe Otterson,
"FYI Partners With Sur La Table on Culinary Series With Katie Couric Producing,"
Variety
, April 18, 2017.
- ^
Stisher, Seth (August 16, 2016).
"Real Estate Expert Seth Stisher Stars in FYI Network's "Waterfront House Hunting"
"
.
GlobeNewswire News Room
(Press release)
. Retrieved
April 5,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Goldberg, Lesley (December 11, 2013).
"A+E Rebrands Bio as Lifestyle Network FYI"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
June 7,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
Poggi, Jeanine (December 11, 2013).
"A&E Rebrands Bio Channel as FYI, a Broad Lifestyle Network"
.
Ad Age
. Crain Communications
. Retrieved
July 7,
2014
.
- ^
Redcarpetcrash.com
Archived
April 7, 2015, at
archive.today
- ^
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
.
- ^
"New FYI channel debuts in Canada on Sept. 1"
. August 1, 2014
. Retrieved
August 9,
2014
.
- ^
"Canal A& chega a Portugal e traz "Wahlburgers" :: Noticia :: SAPO TV"
.
sapo.pt
. Archived from
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on January 22, 2015
. Retrieved
July 29,
2018
.
- ^
"BIO rebrands as A&E in German-speaking Europe, Iberia, Africa"
.
Rapid TV News
.
- ^
"Bio to rebrand to Lifetime in Israel"
. Digital TV Europe. September 11, 2014
. Retrieved
January 23,
2015
.
- ^
"A+E Networks Asia Rebrands Bio Channel to FYI in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan (Press Release) Pinoy Adventurista"
.
pinoyadventurista.com
.
- ^
"A&E Network and TV18 partner to launch FYI TV18 channel"
.
Medianews4u.com
. April 27, 2016.
- ^
Knox, David (September 23, 2015).
"Bio channel to close on Foxtel"
.
TV Tonight
. Retrieved
October 6,
2015
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
U.S. networks
| |
---|
International
networks
(joint venture
partner)
|
- A+E Turkey (
Digiturk
)
- A+E Networks Italy
- AETN
18
Media Pvt. Ltd.
| A+E UK (
Sky
)
| |
---|
A+E Germany
| |
---|
A+E Latin America
(Ole Communications)
| |
---|
A+E Asia
| |
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Foxtel
(AU licensee)
| |
---|
Corus
(Canada licensee)
| |
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History Channel Iberia
(with
AMC Southern Europe
)
| |
---|
|
---|
|