Is Hollywood Ready for 2,000 New Competitors?

There are no barriers to entry anymore—so everybody wants to build a media empire

Why would a chicken fast food chain even consider getting into the TV business?

But Chick-fil-A is doing just that. The company plans to launch a TV streaming platform that, according to one source, will be “avian-themed.”

I have no idea what that means. But I’m pretty sure this poultry company wants to give the bird to the legacy media business.

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Chick-fil-A is moving quickly to create new programming. It has already purchased ten episodes of an unnamed series—and is investing $400K in additional scripts.

“Would you like streaming with that?”

It sounds totally birdbrained, but this is just one example out of many.

Almost every big food company is pursuing—or at least considering—an entry into the media business.

• Earlier this month, Kroger announced that members of the grocery chain’s loyalty program will now get Disney streaming options as part of their benefits.

• Walmart is already offering Paramount streaming to members of its loyalty program.

• Instacart is now working with the Peacock streaming platform

• Uber is partnering with Disney.

• DoorDash is partnering with HBO/Max.

• GrubHub is partnering with Amazon Prime.

• Etc. etc. etc.

Walmart is the most interesting name on this list.

I’ve made several visits to Walmart’s Arkansas HQ over the years, and have met many members of the management team. They are not rubes.

I know how obsessively focused they are on competing against Amazon Prime. So I fully expect Walmart will become a major player in the streaming marketplace, sooner or later.

“The entire Hollywood ecosystem is as fragile as a movie set.”

I predict that they will start commissioning their own programming—and probably position themselves as a more “family-friendly” streaming option.

By the way, I’m not just talking about TV and films. I’ll bet my Sam’s Club membership card that this retailer will get into music streaming, too.