The Feeding Tube

Holy Princess Jasmine: Disney May Buy the Food Network

We're sure Paula Deen will be fine either way.
We’re sure Paula Deen will be fine either way. Photo: Illustration by Andrei Kallaur and Jen Cotton

Is food television — and the world — ready for an entire Magic Kingdom of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? AdAge speculates that the Walt Disney Co. may be looking to help itself to a huge serving of Scripps Networks Interactive, the owner of the Travel Channel, HGTV, and a huge chunk of the Food Network. The company’s controlling family trust ended last week with the death of Robert P. Scripps, leading to speculation that family members might be looking to sell. A Citigroup analyst wrote that Disney should be drawn to bid because acquiring the Food Network would help fill the “yawning gap” in its programming, namely Paula Deen-loving, “upscale, older women.” Meanwhile, we can’t help but notice that Epcot Center is the only place in the contiguous United States right now that has a frozen Kirin beer machine and would like to believe that a Disney-fied Food Network could only help the cause. [AdAge, Disney Parks Blog]

Holy Princess Jasmine: Disney May Buy the Food Network