Dive Brief:
-
HGTV debuted five new lifestyle programs on Jan. 1 that focus on house hunting and homebuying.
-
On the menu: “Castle Hunters,” which shows well-heeled would-be buyers inspecting European castles for sale. For viewers with more modest housing budgets, the network is offering “Half-Price Paradise,” featuring families that live in high-priced locations and want to move to more affordable digs.
-
Rounding out the new offerings are “Living Big Sky,” which takes couples to Montana to consider what’s on the market there; “Island Life,” for house hunters—wealthy and middle-income—who dream of living on an island; and “Building Hawaii,” a look at a husband-and-wife building team that renovates homes on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Dive Insight:
It’s no surprise that HGTV has identified a large viewership interested in exotic and luxury homes—and dreams of finding them at affordable prices. After all, sales of properties costing $1 million or more spiked by 9% last year, according to real-estate brokerage firm Redfin. It will be interesting to see if the new programming lures more people into the homebuying market in 2015.