‘Fixer Upper’ couple Chip and Joanna Gaines to get their own TV network

Former “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines are partnering with Discovery to launch a new TV network and ecosystem.

“Discovery is thrilled to confirm that we are in exclusive talks with Chip and Joanna Gaines,” Discovery said in a statement to TheWrap Saturday. “The Gaineses are exceptional people, true authentic storytellers and creative visionaries who will nourish millions of people with quality, family-friendly programming accessible on a 24/7 network and across all screens. Stay tuned…working out the final details…more to come soon!”

Also Read:HGTV Boss Says No to New 'Fixer Upper': 'What Made the Show Special Was Chip and Jo'

The way cable TV works, Discovery will either have to buy another existing network or rebrand one of its own. Logically, the latter is the most-likely play. After acquiring Scripps earlier this year, Discovery is now the proud home of 19 cable channels. When reached by TheWrap, a Discovery spokeswoman declined to comment on how it will launch a new TV network.

A few months after HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” wrapped its five-season run in April, network boss Kathleen Finch told TheWrap that, though she certainly misses the Gaineses (and their Nielsen TV ratings), fans shouldn’t expect another version of the home-updating series with a new couple.

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“What made the show special was Chip and Jo,” Finch told TheWrap. during the Television Critics Association press tour in July. “I don’t see that we would ever make it with someone else.”

Finch, who heads up HGTV — among other networks — as chief lifestyle brands officer for Discovery Inc., expanded upon the couple’s decision to walk away from their hit series after the successful run.

“Obviously, we didn’t want them to go because we love them,” she said, but added that the decision was theirs and theirs alone. “We’re never going to stand in the way of talent… we understand that when family calls we don’t want anybody to be unhappy in their job.”

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Finch pointed out that the Gaines’ recently had their fifth child, and with everything the duo has to juggle — between the show, furniture line, their construction, design, publishing and even cupcake businesses — it wasn’t too much of a surprise to her. “It was just too much for them to handle.”

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