Food Network has been moving out of the kitchen with programs like the celebrity-focused “Inside Dish with Rachael Ray” and, as it will tell media buyers at its upfront presentation today, it will continue branching out this year with food-focused lifestyle and reality shows.
   The network’s goal is to hold onto its core viewers while attracting young viewers not typically standing over a stove following directions from a television chef.
  “Our median age has gone down, which we’re pleased about,” says Kathleen Finch, senior vice president of programming at Food Network. The network’s median age is nearly 49 years old.
   Finch says the network will use programs like its Sunday shows “Iron Chef America” and “Food Network Challenge,” which have chefs competing in cooking competitions, to continue broadening its reach.
   “We’re going after young viewers and male viewers, and it is working,” says Finch. “And we’re in development on a number of new projects that we expect will [add to] that growth.”

The network's identity
   Since 1993, when Food Network launched, it has existed virtually unto itself in targeting adults interested in cooking shows like “Emeril Live” and, more recently, people interested in food with shows such as “Inside Dish” and “Unwrapped.”
   Going into the ad-selling season, Food Network will continue expanding its niche with lifestyle and reality shows like this summer’s “The Next Food Network Star.”
   Media researchers such as Horizon Media’s Brad Adgate say Food Network has had some success attracting younger viewers with its new shows but warns the network could turn off hardcore viewers if its programming strays too far from the kitchen.
   “Any time you start to play around with your format you run the risk of losing your core viewers and not attracting new viewers who will fill the void,” he says.

The network's target audience
     Food Network targets adults 25-54 but its strong ratings across other key demographics prove it has appeal beyond that group.
   “It’s safe family viewing,” says Adgate. “Kids also sometimes enjoy watching it. It’s one of those channels they’ll see something interesting on and watch for a half-hour. It’s general entertainment within the [food] niche.”
   Adgate says some of the reality-type programs the network is starting to roll out will likely bring Food Network more young viewers.
   “The key for them is to not alienate their core viewers with these reality-type shows,” he says. “There are so many reality shows out there. How many more can we take?”

The network's ratings
   Food Network has been doing well for a network that is starting to level off in terms of its household penetration. The network is in 86.3 million homes, according to Nielsen Media Research.
   And Food is also doing well for a network that is straying from the tight programming niche it launched with.
   In fourth quarter, Food Network’s total-day audience was up 5 percent over a year earlier, to an average 469,000 viewers. In its key demographic, adults 25-54, it was up 9 percent during that time, to 223,000 people, virtually identical to the audience for its sister network, HGTV. Food was also up in adults 18-49 and 18-34, with audiences comparable to those for AMC.
   However, in primetime Food Network’s audience was relatively flat for the quarter. Its total audience was up 1 percent, while its 25-54 and 18-49 demos were flat.

The network's competitive set
     “We don’t really have a direct competitor,” says Finch. “But we look at other cable networks that are targeting the same type of audience we’re targeting, like VH1, TLC, and Lifetime on one hand, or even a [male-skewing] network like Spike.”

What’s new for 2005/06
     This year Food Network is debuting programs like “Weighing In,” a weight-loss reality show that premiered on Friday and was originally entitled "Take it Off," and “Next Food Network Star.” And it’s developing shows like “Restaurant Re-Vamp” with the ubiquitous Bobby Flay and “Lady & Sons,” a spinoff of “Paula’s Home Cooking,” which focuses on the host’s restaurant.
   Other lifestyle programs in the works include two about entertaining, “Good Deal with Dave Lieberman” and “Behind the Bash.”

The network's upfront outlook
    In its upfront presentation today, Food Network will focus on its strong performance in key advertising demographics, including its core 25-54 demo and the younger 18-49 audience, with a lineup of food-centered lifestyle programs that have begun nudging aside in-kitchen cooking shows.
   Moreover, the network will play up encouraging ratings in younger demographics it has had with newer programs like “Iron Chef America” and “Inside Dish.”
   The network will also reiterate its goal to reach younger viewers.
   “What we’re doing is tapping into the interests of young people and letting them know that as they are getting into cooking that Food Network is the place to go for that programming,” says Finch.

The final prognosis
   On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent: 3.5.
   Food Network is facing the difficult task of growing a network that is already in virtually every cable household. It is trying to do that with shows that don’t turn off its core viewers but also lure young viewers to the network. So far, the programming strategy has generated encouraging ratings.
   But media buyers are wondering how far Food Network can move away from its niche before it starts alienating the viewers who helped it grow into a solid second-tier network. With new lifestyle-focused programs rolling out now, buyers will soon have a better feel for how the network will do.