New Series & Pilots Get Greenlight at HGTV and DIY Networks

On the heels of record-breaking ratings at DIY Network and HGTV, network brass announced that they have green lit six new series and two pilots for production. On HGTV, the new series moving ahead are: Beat the House; New House, New Life; Buying Country; Restoring America (w.t.); and House Hunters Off the Grid. New pilots for HGTV include Texas Flip and Move (w.t.) and A Sale of Two Cities (w.t.). On DIY Network, Stone Age also scored production activation. In addition, several popular stars return for new seasons, including real estate, design and reno expert Nicole Curtis (Rehab Addict);designer Alison Victoria(Kitchen Crashers); electrician James Young(I Hate My Kitchen); and contractor Jeff Devlin (I Hate My Bath). Other returning favorites include Salvage Dawgs; Family Under Construction; and Renovation Realities.

"HGTV and DIY Network produce more than 1,100 hours of home-related content - more than any other network," said Kathleen Finch, president, HGTV and DIY Network. "Our current ratings success shows that our programming and expert talent like Nicole Curtis and Alison Victoria resonate strongly with our viewers - we continue to see double digit ratings growth year over year on both networks. We've stayed ahead of the curve and kept our strongest performing series in production while green-lighting more than 25 new programs in 2013 - more than anyone else in our category."

Several of the new HGTV offerings highlight the appeal of competition. Beat the House (Ardaban) follows three real estate agents as they compete to find the best house at the best price to sway potential home buyers from their original plans. Texas Flip and Move w.t. (pilot from Essential 11) features four teams of Texas-based real estate entrepreneurs as they competehead-to-head to buy low, work fast and sell high in a property-flipping competition. However, in a compelling twist, agents must enlist a construction crew to literally pick up the home and move it to a new location.

HGTV also visits wide-open spaces with New House, New Life (Orion Entertainment) in which city-weary couples seek out new homes surrounded by nature's beauty. The process of finding the perfect piece of land, country home or even a hunting lodge is explored in Buying Country (Authentic Entertainment), while in Restoring America w.t. (Magnetic Productions), a couple rescues and renovates his family's once beautiful 1920s mansion in Detroit.

In A Sale of Two Cities w.t. (a pilot by World of Wonder) HGTV cameras follow two house-hunting families as they search for homes in different cities on the same budget. House Hunters Off the Grid (Leopard Films) profiles potential home buyers who take house hunting to an extreme as they tour properties that are way off the beaten path.

On DIY Network, the new series Stone Age (Radiant Media) follows father and son stone experts who create amazing yard makeovers using rock, including everything from waterfalls to fire pits and patios to one-of-a-kind art pieces.