Getty 'Property Brothers' Jonathan Scott and Drew Scott in 2020
Expect to see a lot more of “Property Brothers” Drew and Jonathan Scott on your TV in the near future — but maybe not just on HGTV. After a bidding war among various content producers, the twin home improvement stars have decided to stick with HGTV and their parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, by signing a three-year “talent deal” that will provide opportunities to grow beyond their already-established shows. Here’s what you need to know about the huge deal…
There Was a Bidding War Over the ‘Property Brothers’ Stars
On September 14, 2022, Scott Brothers Entertainment — the brothers’ production company that creates original content for TV, film, and digital platforms — announced the deal on Instagram, revealing that the new contract includes producing new seasons of HGTV hit shows “Property Brothers: Forever Home” and “Celebrity IOU.”
Drew shared the post in his Instagram Stories, writing “What a dream come true for making things bigger, better, and continuing to do what we love every day!”
Though financial terms of the arrangement were not revealed, Variety exclusively reported that there was a “multi-platform” bidding war over the twins, since their previous HGTV contract was set to expire in 2022, meaning other networks and streaming services were trying to woo the brothers away from their longtime home at HGTV.
“We were definitely wooed by many other major players and some of them who really, really wanted our brand on their platform,” Jonathan told Variety.
In the end, though, the Scotts opted to stick with HGTV and its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Jonathan said it made sense for them to stay, given their loyal fans and the longstanding relationships they have there.
“It just feels right with HGTV because we’ve been a family,” he said. “It’s not even just that it’s a job for us and a workplace. The relationship we have, it’s a symbiotic relationship where we develop the shows and we listen to the fans. We’re engaging directly with the fans with over half a million messages a week, each, from our fans, so we know what they want and the network has always been up to that with us.”
New Deal Allows For Projects Beyond HGTV, Including Acting Gigs
GettyZooey Deschanel, Jonathan Scott, Drew Scott, and Linda Phan in 2021
Warner Bros. Discovery chairman and chief content officer Kathleen Finch, whom the Scotts have known for years, told Variety, “These are stars who consistently attract and engage fans, no matter the platform, so this new agreement ensures that together we can continue to develop more fun, innovative content that will excite viewers for years to come.”
In addition to their established HGTV shows, the 44-year-old brothers will also develop more home-related series and digital content across Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio of brands which — thanks to a merger completed in April — includes Food Network, TNT, TBS, Discovery+, CNN, OWN, TLC, Magnolia Network, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Comics.
The brothers are particularly excited that on top of their reality-based — or “unscripted” — content, this leaves the door open for possible acting gigs and scripted content, too. The company has already started experimenting with having their unscripted show hosts appear in scripted content. This November, for instance, Food Network personalities and several HGTV stars — “Love It or List It’s” Hilary Farr and “Home Town’s” Ben and Erin Napier — are acting in holiday movies on Discovery+.
Such opportunities will likely grow as HBO Max is folded into Warner Bros. Discovery to create one large streaming service in the summer of 2023.
“Acting and scripted is my passion and they have that side of things, plus all of their lifestyle and unscripted and everything we’ve been doing already,” Drew told Variety. “So this is just a dream for making things bigger and better, reaching more people. I think it’s exciting and the whole time those discussions were happening, for me at least, it was just exciting. There was no reservations. I just thought this was creating more opportunity to inspire people.”
Drew, who has a four-month-old son with wife Linda Phan, joked, “Maybe I’ll be in the next ‘Game of Thrones’ series, the new ‘House of the Dragon!’”
Jonathan said acting is probably a natural next step for him, too. “After all, I am in a relationship with the world’s most famous elf, so I feel like I have to,” Jonathan said, referring to his three-year romance with “Elf” star Zooey Deschanel.
The brothers have actually been brushing up on their acting skills lately. In June, they made a funny scripted cameo on Peacock’s “Girls5Eva,” including an over-the-top fight scene between Drew and comedian Paula Pell.
In 2021, the duo also appeared in a magic show with comedian Phoebe Robinson on Comedy Central.