DUBAI: Fatafeat, Warner Bros. Discovery Channel’s Arabic food network, is set to gamify its culinary format for the first time with the launch of its latest series, “Escape Kitchen.”
Starting next month, each episode will feature chefs trapped in an escape room, with 45 minutes on the clock to win the game.
The move is part of the company’s plans to expand its range of content formats.
“We are introducing new formats that have never been done by the network or other Arabic entertainment players,” Jamie Cooke, general manager of Warner Bros. Discovery CEE, Baltics, Middle East, Mediterranean and Turkey, told Arab News in a separate interview.
The cooking gameshow will feature an extensive round-up of Fatafeat’s resident chefs, including Manal Al-Alem, Tarek Ibrahim and Sumaya Obaid.
Teams will look for clues and solve riddles to unlock a secret recipe, as well as the locations of the ingredients, kitchen appliances and tools needed to prepare the dish. The losing team will have to face the consequence with comedic challenges.
“For a brand as iconic and ingrained in every Arab household as Fatafeat, the network needs to keep innovating and seek ways to cater to a booming new wave of consumers, while keeping loyal fans engaged with fresh and unique content. ‘Escape Kitchen’ is yet another milestone in this potent content strategy,” Girgory Lavrov, head of Fatafeat, said in a statement.
Fatafeat is a key part of the company’s strategy in the region. “It plays an important role in our regional strategy and allows us to keep innovating our content and assets to ensure an elevated experience for our viewers and partners,” Cooke told Arab News.
Before the end of the year, he added, Fatafeat will launch two new shows — “Chef on a Bike,” which champions a female Saudi chef rider, and “Musical Food Show,” which spotlights a modern Arab family and their food culture through the art of music.
“Escape Kitchen” will be available on beIN #251 from Nov. 1 and on the Discovery+ library of streaming platforms, StarzPlay and Jawwy TV, from Nov. 4, with a weekly release of two episodes.
