鈥淏reakfast Television鈥� host Dina Pugliese and 鈥淧roperty Brothers鈥� duo Drew and Jonathan Scott are among the stars headlining new HGTV and Food Network Canada shows under the Rogers umbrella.
Rogers鈥� head of original programming Kale Stockwell says the company鈥檚 inaugural slate for its newly acquired specialty channels 鈥� previously held by Corus 鈥� includes 11 original series that promise to be 鈥渂igger and more impactful鈥� than what came before.
An HGTV Canada show with the working title 鈥淧roperty Brothers: Commitment Issues鈥� will see the Scott brothers help people overcome indecision in home buying and lead them through renovations. The show is currently in production and set to premiere in 2026.
Scott Brothers Entertainment is also behind 鈥淭he Emily Michelle Project,鈥� focused on budget-friendly makeovers led by designer Emily Michelle, and 鈥淭op of the Block,鈥� a competition series where homeowners compete for the title of best house on the street.
Pugliese heads to Food Network Canada for 鈥淏ake Master Battle,鈥� where three teams of bakers showcase confectionary skills through festive challenges.
Meanwhile, 鈥淢asterChef Canada鈥� finalist Andy Hay brings 鈥淎ndy鈥檚 East Coast Kitchen Crawl鈥� to Food Network Canada, as he visits kitchens across Atlantic Canada before creating inspired dishes in his Halifax home.
Last June, Rogers announced it had scored 鈥渕ilestone鈥� multi-year deals with Warner Bros. Discovery in which it nabbed the Canadian rights to several lifestyle brands from Corus Entertainment and Bell Media, including HGTV, Food Network and Discovery.
Stockwell says Rogers wants to 鈥渒eep the spirits鈥� of their newly added brands alive while elevating the content to stand out in the crowded media landscape.
鈥淗GTV and Food are incredibly strong brands that have resonated with Canadians for over 20 years and still are hugely impactful. So we wanted to make sure we were true to the brands first and foremost,鈥� he says.
鈥淏ut I think if there's one thing we endeavoured to do when we took this on is just to try and make programming that was a little bigger and more impactful. (Shows that) broke through some of the noise in the market.鈥�
Stockwell says an example is 鈥淗ome Town Takeover Canada,鈥� an HGTV Canada adaptation of the U.S. series focused on small-town revitalizations of homes, business and public spaces. Details on locations and hosts for the series will be announced at a later date.
He says the show 鈥渞eally will change the future of a hometown in Canada.鈥�
In December, Corus launched Flavour Network and Home Network to replace the channel positions for Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada and air original shows meant for those networks.
Corus co-CEO Troy Reeb told The Canadian Press last year that the broadcaster is confident its two new lifestyle brands can 鈥渃ompete and win鈥� against Food Network and HGTV after losing both networks鈥� Canadian rights to Rogers.
鈥淭o be honest, I'm not really focused on what they're doing,鈥� Stockwell says about the competitor, which was also set to announce its programming lineup on Monday.
鈥淲e're trying to put together the best possible slate of original programs that we can. And we think that when it is released and audiences have the opportunity to consume it, it will speak for itself.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
