ABC Family to Change Name to 'Freeform'
Jess Guida ’19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
ABC Family released major news today that they will be rebranding come January 2016, and changing their name to Freeform. Leaving the “family” behind, the television network is looking to target a specific demographic of younger viewers, ages 14-34, who have been labeled as the “Becomers.”
This stems from what non-viewers perceive the network to be: family oriented. However, it has been clear for the past few years that the Disney-owned network has been branching away from their roots. Some of their most popular programs, including Pretty Little Liars and The Fosters, are not meant for the whole family to sit down and watch together. They have also broken into social media in recent years by live-tweeting during Pretty Little Liars. So, it’s no surprise that ABC Family would want to target the young viewers that make up their core audience and draw in more of the “Becomers.”
For the most part, fans seem surprised by the announcement, but the ultimate opposition seems to be centered on the name itself. The name was supposedly chosen by a focus group of about 1,200 people, but the network did not want their rebranding to be obvious. Instead, the network is promoting Freeform as being “free to take whatever shape feels right” and “free to push beyond the expected.” One thing is for sure, they definitely accomplished the unexpected, and it will be interesting to see how this change affects their viewership as they promote the rebranding over the next few months.
Watch ABC Family’s official announcement here:
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNfFEIZJX0g[/embedyt]