• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 15, 2015

Condé Nast is launching a new mobile-first social video platform for its epicurean and cooking properties, the high-end publisher announced this week. The Food Innovation Group Video Network will distribute mostly short-form digital video content covering a range of food-related subjects, drawing content from Bon Appétit and Epicurious, its online recipe hub, among other properties.

The FIG Video Network will distribute original content and acquired series across a number of sites owned and operated by Condé Nast, including bonappetit.com, Epicurious and The Scene, as well as through external channels platforms and social channels, like Amazon, AOL, Apple TV, Facebook, Instagram, MSN, Roku, Snapchat, Spotify, Tumblr, Twitter, Yahoo, YouTube, and ME Studio, a food blogging network.

At launch, the FIG Video Network offers programming including “Cook Like a Pro,” with tips from well-known chefs; “Kitchen Lab,” devoted to the science of cooking; “Eat Stay Love,” addressing food and travel; and “Cooking Magic,” featuring 60-second stop motion recipes and tips.

The network aims to increase its lineup from nine series at launch to 26 next year, with ad opportunities including traditional pre-rolls, sponsorships and branded content.

Condé Nast’s flagship epicurean brand has unveiled a number of new digital products in recent months.

In June, Bon Appétit announced a collaboration with IBM, called “Chef Watson,” which the partners described as a “cognitive computing app” that helps aspiring epicures to expand their creativity in the kitchen. Among other features, the Chef Watson app prompts chefs to try new, unexpected flavor combinations, based on Watson’s trained analysis of 10,000 recipes from Bon Appétit’s database.

Bon Appétit also unveiled a new partnership with Facebook as a publisher in its new food publishing vertical. Along with other publishers, Bon Appétit is contributing expert reviews of restaurants around the country