Food Network Serves Up Most-Watched November in History
Official Food Network press release:
NEW YORK – November 30, 2011 – Food Network delivers its highest-rated, most-watched November in network history (up 20 percent from November 2010). The month was watched 
nightly by an average of 1.3 million total P2+ viewers and posted a .6 in the core Adults 25-54 demo in prime. The Next Iron Chef continues its successful run in November, posting an average 1.5 Adults 25-54 (up 50 percent versus comparable weeks last year) and watched by an average of 2.9 million total P2+ viewers. Finishing 9th among ad-supported cable networks in November marks the 6th consecutive month Food Network has ranked in the top ten cable networks, according to Nielsen Media Research.
“Food Network represents a true destination across all of our platforms for consumers to enjoy the holiday season. Thanksgiving is the starting line for offering fans a one-stop source for preparing for their ideal holiday,” said Brooke Johnson, President of Food Network & Cooking Channel.
For the first time, Food Network produced daytime special Thanksgiving Live!, a viewer-interactive show featuring a bevy of Food Network talent including Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray and more, fielding questions to avert Turkey-day disasters. The two-hour live broadcast was watched by 1.6 million total P2+ viewers and resulted in over 15,000 Tweets and 10,000 new “likes” on Facebook pages during the show contributing to the over 64,000 new “likes” for the month of November.
As a side dish to on-air programming,FoodNetwork.com’s Thanksgiving package (foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving) was record setting, receiving over 105.8 million page views; the day before Thanksgiving, FoodNetwork.com also broke the site’s record for single-day traffic with over 30 million page views. The site’s success, driven by the Thanksgiving holiday section, is up 28% over 2010.
“Our digital holiday offerings grow every year as we’ve seen our fans take full advantage of online as a resource for menu planning, recipes, gift guides, tips and videos,” said Bob Madden General Manager/Senior Vice President Online Brands, Food Network & Cooking Channel. “We aim to provide all of the tools necessary to create the perfect thanksgiving for our loyal fans.”
Food Network Presents ‘Thanksgiving Live!’
Food Network Helps Viewers Avert Turkey-Day Disasters First-Ever, Two Hour, Interactive ‘Thanksgiving Live!’ Special
Hosted by Alton Brown and Featuring Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray and More
‘Thanksgiving Live!’ Airs Sunday, November 20th from NOON-2pm ET
Viewers Submit Questions Live via Facebook, Twitter and Skype
NEW YORK – October 17, 2011 – Home cooks—and their Thanksgiving dinner guests—have another reason to be thankful this year! The experts at Food Network come together to answer viewers toughest questions about holiday meal-making on Thanksgiving Live!, a two-hour, interactive show hosted by famed Turkey-master Alton Brown, airing Sunday, November 20 from 12 pm to 2 pm EST/PST (west coast airing will be taped). On hand to address perennial problems from dry turkey to lumpy gravy, as well as demonstrate helpful tips and delicious recipes will be Ted Allen, Sunny Anderson, Anne Burrell, Melissa d’Arabian, Bobby Flay, Alex Guarnaschelli and Rachael Ray.
“Thanksgiving Live! is a unique opportunity for home cooks to get expert holiday meal preparation advice from the television chefs they love and trust on the Sunday before the big day,” said Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Food Network. “We’re excited to offer this one-of-a-kind television experience, in addition to our other media platforms, to make Food Network the go-to resource for Thanksgiving food programming and instruction.”
In this first-ever Food Network live event, Alton will field viewers’ Thanksgiving meal preparation questions and refer them to an all-star cast of celebrity chefs. Viewers will not only have the opportunity to submit questions ahead of time via Facebook, Twitter (use #FNThanksgiving) but can also simultaneously submit questions during the broadcast. Skype submissions (Username: FoodNetworkThanksgiving) will be exclusive to the two-hour broadcast.
As a side dish to the on-air broadcast, the network’s website (www.foodnetwork.com) will serve up a three-hour Thanksgiving Live webcast. Starting a half-hour before airtime, the site will stream a preshow featuring celebrity chef interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of Alton and the cast preparing for the live television event. During the show, viewers can participate in a unique, co-viewing social experience implemented on FoodNetwork.com, Facebook.com/FoodNetwork and Livestream.com/FoodNetwork. A mix of real-time conversation including video, photos, Facebook and Twitter posts, all seamlessly integrated into the live video stream, it will allow chefs and viewers to share tips, recipes and commentary. After the on-air broadcast concludes as the cast sit down to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast they prepared during the show, the online streaming video will continue with post-show coverage. Each guest will contribute a signature dish, covering everything from starters to desserts—and Alton Brown will carve the turkey!
