Discovery will take a bold step in 2021 within the traditional linear cable universe with the launch of a channel that will feature two of the most popular stars in the home renovation genre.

Page is up for the challenge with Magnolia Network, a joint venture between Discovery and Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines. The veteran Scripps Networks executive will look to establish the new network’s footprint in a crowded linear cable marketplace. 

“Magnolia Network is a network that people very much want, need and look forward to because it represents positivity, family and comfort,” Page said.

Previously, Page was president of HGTV and Food Network. Prior to Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps Network in 2018, Page was general manager of U.S. Programming and Development for the company’s HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country brands.

It was at HGTV where Page displayed her programming acumen, launching such network franchise shows as “Flip or Flop,” “Brother vs. Brother” and “Fixer Upper,” which will be part of the new Magnolia lineup. Page’s influence on the network continues to fuel its success today: HGTV is one of the highest-rated cable networks in a year dominated by shifting programming lineups due to production schedules disrupted by to COVID-19.

“[HGTV] is real comfort food for viewers,” Page said. “I think brands with a clear, consistent, compelling brand promise provide a lot of comfort for viewers because you know what you’re coming for and your expectations are met.”

While the network has yet to set a firm launch date, Magnolia Network has already generated awareness through content previews on sister networks Food Network and DIY. 

Magnolia Network programming will be prominently featured in the Discovery Plus direct-to-consumer service launching in January. Discovery Plus will offer episodes from several Magnolia Network series and specials, including “Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines” and “The Courage to Run with Chip Gaines and Gabe Grunewald.” 

“Our role in it will be something that will be a great offering to people who want that Discovery larger product, but also serves as a great marketing tool for us,” Page said of the streaming product. “Hopefully it serves two great purposes of giving people a real sense of what we’re going to be, as well as showing some highly anticipated content.”

The January 2021 launch of Discovery Inc.'s new direct-to-consumer service Discovery Plus will also serve as a first-look opportunity to access content from the upstart Magnolia Network. 

While Magnolia Network has yet to announce a launch date, the service -- a joint venture between Discovery and Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines -- will have some of its new content prominently featured on the Discovery Plus service, according to Magnolia President Allison Page.

As part of Discovery Plus’  Jan. 4 launch, Magnolia Network will feature four preview shows: Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines; Magnolia Network: A Look Ahead; Road to Launch and The Courage to Run with Chip Gaines and Gabe Grunewald. 

Related: Discovery Enters the ‘Plus’ Wars with Jan. 4 U.S. Streaming Launch

In addition, the streaming service will debut premiere episodes from 10 new Magnolia Network series, including the Andrew Zimmern-hosted Family Dinner and First Time Ever, which will feature first time house flippers who take their own home renovation dreams into their own hands. 

“We are so eager to show some of our content,” Page told Multichannel News. “We’re  excited that we get to sneak peek some of our content early in the year and then work toward our own launch as shortly as possible thereafter.”

Discovery Inc. has set an Oct. 4 launch date for Magnolia Network, a cable network that’s part of a joint venture between the company and producers Chip and Joanna Gaines. The channel (with an accompanying TV everywhere app), run by the former Fixer Upper stars, will replace the DIY linear channel.

Magnolia president and former HGTV president Allison Page spoke to Multichannel News at the TCA Winter Press Tour earlier this month about the challenges in getting Magnolia up and running in today’s competitive TV field. Here’s an edited version of the interview.

MCN: Why does Discovery feel this environment is the best time to launch a linear channel?
Allison Page: Chip and Jo like taking risks. If something seems counterintuitive, it might be something that they are interested in, and the network is a great example of that. The year 2020 is not a year you would expect necessarily to see a linear channel launched, and I think that opportunity to challenge a different path was part of what was intriguing to them.

MCN: With all the discussion and momentum around the emerging streaming platform, how does a new linear network break through the clutter?
AP: We have a belief that linear television is something special, and that it can hearken back to a time when the whole family sat down to watch television. This platform brought families together. There will certainly be digital elements as well, but there is something both romantic, inspiring and relatable about what a TV network can be.

MCN: What do Chip and Joanna Gaines bring to the table as content creators for Magnolia?
AP: Chip and Joanna Gaines bring to the table a broader look into a lot of stories that we see being told today. The subject matter is wide. It does not only encompass home or food or design, but so much more. It’s basically filling in a space that we didn’t see filled.

MCN: Which programming genres will Magnolia offer?
AP: Any genre where there is good storytelling. We’ll incorporate food and garden, health, design, construction, entrepreneurialism and family. It’s a very wide bucket, but we believe that great storytelling appeals to audiences. Chip and Jo believe that everyone has a story worth sharing, and that we can be a home for those stories.

The ink is barely dry on the March merger between Discovery Communications and Scripps Networks Interactive, yet the new Discovery Inc. has already begun to find ways to benefit both on the marketing and programming fronts from its combined network assets, including Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel and DIY.

“With the broad reach that we have now, we have an ability, day and date, to tell people on HGTV and Food and ID that something great is going on TLC,” David Zaslav, Discovery’s president and CEO, said July 26 at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. “So we’re kind of just growing into our new set of assets, but we’re working together really well, and things are going better than we expected, and we’re having a good time.”

On the ratings side, a number of Discovery networks are clicking with female audiences. HGTV was July’s most-watched network among women 25 to 54 — behind Investigation Discovery — while Food Network was No. 5 within the demo.

HGTV and Food Network president Allison Page talked about the potential synergies that can be created between the legacy Scripps and Discovery Channels, as well as the continued popularity of the two network brands, with Multichannel News senior content producer, programming R. Thomas Umstead.

MCN: What has been the biggest change for the legacy Scripps networks since the merger?
Allison Page: The biggest change on the legacy Scripps side is the power of the combined brands and what we can do together. The fact that it’s an international company with so many networks is great. On some nights, up to 20% to 25% of women watching TV are watching one of our networks, so there’s a really big audience that we can speak to now.

MCN: Are there any opportunities beyond cross-promoting that you can benefit from — maybe sharing programming across the networks?
AP: We’re talking a lot about what’s working on another network and how we can come together and do something that is shared. An example of that revolved around Drew Scott’s wedding (Scott is co-host of HGTV’s Property Brothers). Weddings are such a big category for TLC, so we did a special around their wedding on TLC. Likewise, we brought the story of how they chose their wedding cake to Food Network. So there’s a lot of crossover, particularly with Food Network, TLC and HGTV — there’s a lot of shared DNA and a lot of opportunity. On The Wedding Cake Championship on Food Network, we had Randy [Fenoli] from Say Yes to the Dress on the show, so that was fun as well. There are a lot of places where it’s just so natural. The Discovery networks, along with HGTV and Food Network are really feeling the benefits, and it’s pretty exciting as a combined company what we can do together.

MCN: What the secret sauce behind the continued ratings success of Food Network and HGTV in a very crowded television marketplace?
AP: I think the secret sauce is the strength of the brands. We’re not about one show, one hit or one night that’s working. If you come to HGTV you know what you’re looking for and you’re going to get what you want, and you’re probably going to get a premiere episode, because we have them every single night. Same thing with Food Network — we know who we are and we deliver on that every single night.

HGTV will launch a new series in March featuring the exploits of a mother/daughter home renovation duo.

The series, Good Bones, debuts March 22 and follows Karen Laine and Mina Starsiak as they buy homes in serious disrepair and transform them into remodels, according to network officials. In the premiere episode, the series stars tackle a dilapidated 600 sq. ft. one-bedroom home in the Barth neighborhood of Indianapolis that's infested with termites.

“Home renovation series are among HGTV’s strongest ratings drivers,” said Allison Page, general manager, HGTV and DIY Network. “As Karen and Mina take on drastic home renovation projects, their fun and fearless dynamic adds an entertaining dimension to the series.”

HGTV said it has greenlighted four new shows in the theme of buying "the worst home on the best block" and then restoring and potentially re-selling it, a theme that has been successful at the Scripps Networks outlet (see " 'Flip Or Flop' Notches Series High"). They are likely to make their debut this summer, the network said, with scheduling yet to be determined.

In Flipping Virgins (a working title), property expert Egypt Sherrod (pictured) advises first-time flippers the ultimate tutorial in the risky world of flipping houses.

Old Home Love (w.t.) showcases Utah couple Andy and Candis Meredith as they renovate dilapidated houses from the 1800s and restore them to their original beauty.

Shalina Joy, a New Jersey teacher and single mom of two, takes on her biggest summer vacation project ever: transforming a run-down 1900s mansion into a sunny, functional home for her family in Restoring Victoria, also a working title.

And Flipping Moms gives popular authors and mom bloggers Jen Pate and Barb Machen center stage as they try to balance busy family lives with buying, renovating and selling fixer uppers. 

“Viewers are very interested in renovation and flipping when it leads to the outcome that every community wants -- restored, well-maintained homes,” Allison Page, general manager, HGTV and DIY Network, said in a release. “HGTV has had tremendous success with series like Rehab Addict and Fixer Upper which showcase real people who have a passion for renovating older properties to enhance their value to the overall community.”

HGTV had a solid 2014, a down year for most cable programmers, with primetime ratings growing 4%. Top viewed series were Property Brothers, Property Brothers at Home, Flipping the Block and Tiny House Hunters, per the network.