ABC Family to re-brand as Freeform after finding millennials were put off by family connotations
ABC is rebranding its ABC Family channel as Freeform as it looks to ditch the connotations associated with family shows in a bid to appeal to millennials.
After nearly 30 years the Disney-owned cable channel will drop the 'Family' branding as it looks to appeal to what it calls 'Becomers', or viewers aged 14 to 34.
The decision came after the network polled its target demographic and found that those who did not watch the channel commonly cited their reason for doing so was that the word family evoked an impression of “family friendly” and “wholesome” entertainment which put off many millennials.
Tom Ascheim, ABC Family president hopes that the change will draw in more of its target demographic while holding on to the audience it already has by continuing the network’s programming style which includes shows like Pretty Little Liars, The Fosters, and Young and Hungry.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly Ascheim said the changes did not feel like a “radical depature”, but rather “an evolution”. He said the name change was intended to change the “cliched sense of who we are” while also reflecting the shift in how people consume and share content, especially with ABC Family’s audience who widely embrace social media.
ABC hopes that the new name will prevent potential viewers from writing off the channel and says that the Freeform name would actively work to draw in new views. Ascheim promised as much in saying “we got an overwhelmingly positive response. Freeform sounds like fun.”
The network will roll out a marketing campaign for the rebranding in December during its '25 Days of Christmas' tent-pole event before relaunching as Freeform in January with new seasons of its popular shows.