"Freeform (Formerly ABC Family)" Network Talkback (Spoilers)

[gmster]

ABC Family might look for new graphics, new programs and even a new name in 2015 as part of a proposed reboot that would make it more appealing to its millennial audience, according to a person with knowledge of the Walt Disney property’s plans.

A network spokeswoman declined to offer specifics on what might be up for consideration or change. “We are looking at the network to determine what needs to be rebooted to make sure it’s in line with current millennial sensibilities,”said Jori Arancio, a spokeswoman for ABC Family.

https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/disneys-abc-family-cable-network-mulling-reboot-1201370137/

 

[Rick Jones]

The plan doesn't seem too different from what I already think of ABC Family besides maybe getting rid of the 25 Days of Christmas and the occasional Disney and Harry Potter film.

 

[Peter Paltridge]

The plan doesn't seem too different from what I already think of ABC Family besides maybe getting rid of the 25 Days of Christmas and the occasional Disney and Harry Potter film.

Yeah, it's like....what ABC Family is already. It's a youth-targeted network pretending to be a family network because they're contractually ordered to.

Speaking of that contract, did something new happen? Did they buy Robertson's part of it? If not, then they can't change the name. They wanted to call it "XYZ" (get it?) in the mid-2000's but then they found out about the Robertson deal.

 

[Light Lucario]

The plan doesn't seem too different from what I already think of ABC Family besides maybe getting rid of the 25 Days of Christmas and the occasional Disney and Harry Potter film.

I would hope that they don't get rid of the 25 Days of Christmas. That's one of the few times during the year where I actively watch the channel since they air some of my favorite Christmas specials and movies. It might be too marketable and successful for them to do that anyway, especially when they made the Countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas a few years ago.

Still, this doesn't sound too drastically different to me from how the channel currently is either. They're still clearly targeting young adults more than a general family audience with their original series and other series they pick up to air reruns. I don't know if they need to reboot their channel to further emphasize that.

 

[Rick Jones]

I would hope that they don't get rid of the 25 Days of Christmas. That's one of the few times during the year where I actively watch the channel since they air some of my favorite Christmas specials and movies. It might be too marketable and successful for them to do that anyway, especially when they made the Countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas a few years ago.

Yeah, I like the 25 Days as well. It pretty much is the only place to catch most of the Rankin Bass specials, etc, outside of home video. I always joke about it being the one time a year that ABCF actually is a family channel.

I wouldn't mind seeing a name change if only to stop seeing my forgetful family members get surprised reactions to whatever content is on the channel when they tune in expecting something wholesome.

 

[Dudley]

I hope they'll still air marathons of classic Disney animated movies, that's one of the few times I tune in. It would be interesting to see if they can change the name like removing "Family" from the title.

 

[Francisque]

They could get the name they decided to give to the Canadian ABC Family: ABC Spark
ABC Spark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Goldstar!]

I thought that the channel was legally required to keep the word "Family" in it's name forever due to it's agreement with Pat Robertson's people (they were thinking about rebranding the channel as 'ABCF', at one point), but if that's over now, then Disney can call the channel whatever they want to.

Disney might as well reboot it; ABC Family has been a family oriented channel in name only for years, but if they get rid of The 25 Days of Christmas, then there will officially be no reason for me to watch the channel anymore. I neither watch nor care about any of the millenial oriented programming, but I guess that I'm just too old for it.

 

[hobbyfan]

ABC Family might as well become Disney Family. Their 25 Days of Christmas is the highlight of the year for them, but they've been eclipsed by Hallmark Channel in recent years, IMPO.

 

[BartWinkle]

How many name changes have they gone through? Seems like it's their umpteenth.

 

[Dr.Pepper]

I don't watch this channel much, but if they get rid of the occasional older Disney movie and 25 Days of Christmas than I am done for good.

 

[hobbyfan]

The Family Channel to Fox Family to ABC Family. Just 2 cosmetic changes. Not bad, really.

 

[dth1971]

Maybe ABC Family might be sold off.

 

[Silverstar]

Maybe ABC Family might be sold off.

To whom, and why? ABC Family isn't in any danger, as far as I know. Its' only "issue" is that its' name suggests a family channel when it's actually a millenial youth-oriented channel. If they're considering a name change and are planning to drop the few family-oriented shows that the channel still airs, then they must have found some way around the Pat Robertson clause.

 

[BartWinkle]

I remember reading ads in TV Guide when that channel was known as the CBN Cable Channel. Maybe early '80s.

 

[jfoley85]

Discuss new programs coming to ABC Family and ABC Spark in this thread. Also discuss current programs as well. Which is your favourite?

 

[jfoley85]

This is a list of current and former television series broadcast by ABC Spark, a specialty channel based on the U.S. cable channel ABC Family.

This list is current as of April 2015.

Current programming

Acquired from ABC Family
Baby Daddy
Chasing Life
The Fosters
Freak Out
Melissa & Joey
Roommates
State of Georgia
Switched at Birth
Young & Hungry
Other Acquired programming
America's Funniest Home Videos
Boy Meets World
Cash Mob
Celebrity Damage Control
Celebrity Legacies
Cougar Town
Deal with It
Extreme Babysitting
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Ghost Whisperer
Hope & Faith
Just for Laughs: Gags
Less Than Perfect
Life with Boys
The Middle
Mr. Young
Mysterious Ways
Pick a Puppy
Rules of Engagement
Splatalot
The Vampire Diaries
Wipeout
Former programming

Acquired from ABC Family
10 Things I Hate About You
Beverly Hills Nannies
Bunheads
Dancing Fools
Fallen
Greek
Huge
Jane by Design
Lincoln Heights
The Lying Game
Make It or Break It
Mystery Girls
The Nine Lives of Chloe King
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Twisted
The Vineyard
Other Acquired programming
8 Simple Rules
Da Vinci's Inquest
Family Biz
How To Be Indie
Love Trap
My Wife and Kids
Mystery Hunters
Scrubs
Smallville
Supernatural
That's So Weird
Ugly Betty
Wipeout Canada

 

[Tommy Lawson]

ABC Family is getting a new name: Freeform. Here is an article about it from Deadline.

 

[Peter Paltridge]

"Freeform"??? I'd rather have "XYZ."

And there is so much executive talk in that press release it's painful. There's more than one word they made up. "Once focused on millennials, ABC Family in April announced that it would now be targeting a new category viewers, “becomers” as some of its viewers were aging out of the millennial demo. Becomers a life stage rather than a generation, including young people aged 14-34 who are in high school, college and the decade that follows and are navigating the time in life when you experience the most firsts – first car, first apartment, first job, first love, first heartbreak."

Nobody let "becomers" catch on, please.

 

[Tommy Lawson]

I know it's been gone for nearly a decade from ABC Family, but the ABC Family name was the last remaining relic from the Jetix era, and it will soon be gone. I remember when Power Rangers, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!, and W.I.T.C.H. aired on ABC Family.