Food Network Goes HD in EMEA

LONDON: A high-definition feed of the lifestyle channel Food Network is slated to launch across Europe, the Middle East and Africa on May 1.

Orbit Showtime Network will be the first platform to carry the Food Network HD service in the Middle East and North Africa. The launch slate will include Throwdown with Bobby Flay and Paula Deen’s Paula’s Best Dishes, along with entertainment shows Unwrapped and Chopped.

“The ability to tap our substantial library of quality high-definition lifestyle programming is an important driver of distribution for Food Network, especially in EMEA markets,” said Greg Moyer, the president of Scripps Networks International, the global development arm of Scripps Networks Interactive.

Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, the CEO of Orbit Showtime Network, added, “Having Food Network available on HD will provide the ultimate TV experience for the region as well as for OSN. It really marks us out as forerunners in the Middle East and North Africa, bringing programming the way they are meant to be watched—in high definition—and we’re proud to be leading the way.”