TV news
Texas' Chip and Joanna Gaines unveil long-awaited launch date of new Magnolia Network
UPDATE 7-15-2021: Magnolia Network officially launched today, available for streaming with a Discovery+ subscription. Of special interest to DFW viewers, one episode of Self-Employed, starring Fort Worth's Jonathan Morris, is included, with more to drop August 27.
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Fans of Chip and Joanna Gaines have been ready to see their Fixer Upper reboot — and the rest of their Magnolia Network content — since they announced their new cable network in 2018.
After a couple of coronavirus-related delays, they've finally revealed a launch date. Two launch dates, actually.
- On July 15, 2021, Magnolia Network will debut on a new Magnolia app and the streaming platform Discovery+.
- In January 2022, the new Magnolia Network will debut on cable TV.
“In what has been the most unconventional of years, our plan and timing for the network launch has evolved, but our original vision for this network has remained the same," the Waco-based reality TV-entrepreneurs said in a statement February 11.
That vision, they say, is still to "tell good stories — stories that unite instead of divide; stories that serve to inspire and uphold beauty; stories that entertain and draw out curiosities; stories that feel like home in all the ways a home should feel," they say on the network's website.
Notably, the Magnolia Network will feature their Fixer Upper reboot, as well as Joanna Gaines' cooking show called (what else?) Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, and Self Employed, a series about entrepreneurs hosted by Fort Worth resident Jonathan Morris.
The first 10 Magnolia Network shows were unveiled in a TV special last spring. Content focuses on people who are living life passionately and authentically, the Gaineses say, and covers topics the couple themselves are passionate about: home design, restoration, and renovation, gardening, cooking, wellness, business, family, and traditions.
According to Deadline, Magnolia Network was supposed to take over DIY Network in October 2020, followed by a direct-to-consumer product at a later date. COVID-19 shut down Hollywood production, which pushed everything back.
"Meanwhile, Discovery launched their SVOD platform Discovery+ last month as the pandemic accelerated traditional media companies’ shift to streaming as a leading distribution method," Deadline says. "The Magnolia brand has been a key — and growing — part of the Discovery+ lineup with previews of many of its original series, led by the new season of the Gaines’ hit Fixer Upper."
While Fixer Upper: Welcome Home can be seen now on Discovery+, starting July 15, the platform will stream an expanded lineup of Magnolia shows. The Gaines' Magnolia app is expected to stream their original series and over 150 hours of unscripted content.
Discovery+ currently costs $4.99 per month, with a free trail available here.
Those who don’t want to stream yet another service will have to wait patiently for about another year until Magnolia Network launches as a rebranded DIY Network on their cable or satellite provider. In January 2022, the new TV network will carry not only Magnolia originals but new seasons of favorite DIY shows, they say.
