Fox is eager for another helping of advertising dollars from companies interested in food.
The broadcast network aims to lure money from food marketers and others who help with food preparation and sales with a new long-term initiative called “Bite of Fox.”
Fox intends to position “Bite” as a venue for food and lifestyle content and expects to reach “food obsessed audiences wherever they are,” says Katrina Cukaj, executive vice president of advertising sales and portfolio marketing for Fox Entertainment, during a recent interview, and could involve everything from digital outreach to live events. This chomp comes after Fox unveiled a partnership with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in 2023 that aimed to make use of the newly formed Studio Ramsay Global.
Fox, says Cukaj, believes it delivers some of the biggest ratings around food-related programming, thanks to Ramsay shows over the years such as “Masterchef” and “Hell’s Kitchen.” Now there may be opportunities to do more around the category, particularly with fans “very much interested in what these incredible food creators are doing,” says Cukaj.
Fox’s first serving includes ample portions from cheesemaker Sargento, which will feature is new natural American cheese slices at BiteofFox.co, where fans can review shoppable recipes and instructional videos. Viewers of Fox’s “Next Level Chef” will be prompted to visit the online perch during April, which is also National Grilled Cheese Month.
Fox is setting the table for a specific category of advertiser in advance of the industry’s annual “upfront” market, when U.S. TV networks try to sell the bulk of their commercial inventory. Fox has thrived for years on ad outlays from movie studios and fast-food chains, but its interest in food shows the network trying to broaden its reach. In addition to the obvious suspects, such concepts will also appeal to retailers as well as manufacturers of kitchenware, says Cukaj.
Fox’s effort could pit it against Warner Bros. Discovery’s Food Network, which snared $561.7 million in 2024 ad sales, according to Kagan, a research firm that is part of S&P Global Market Intelligence. And others have begun to nibble at the sector. NBCUniversal last year offered an interactive technology that allowed Peacock users to order food and drink in advance of watching a movie or sports event. TV networks and streamers see new opportunities to work with delivery services such as DoorDash or Uber Eats and tie their programs to meals and dining.
Fox has more servings of “Bite” planned, says Cukaj. She sees the company’s coming World Cup telecasts as a place where food can play a part. “We are going to expand in terms of live extras and experience and on the ground events,” she says, vowing that, like a multi-course dinner party, there is “more to come.”
