Since Disney bought the Network from News Corp. and Saban Entertainment in 1991, there has been ABC Family. The network is home to former shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Make It Or Break It, current shows like Pretty Little Liars, the Fosters, and Switched at Birth, and future shows like Shadowhunters. But they won't be known as ABC Family pretty soon.
Today, network President Tom Ascheim announced that ABC Family will be renamed and rebranded as Freeform in January 2016. Freeform will reflect the way that teenagers and young adults consume media as part of an effort to target the audience of 'Becomers'. What's a Becomer?
Ascheim describes it by saying, "The most important question that young people ask themselves as they're going from high school to their thirties is, 'Who am I becoming?' So we call the life stage 'becoming' and the people going through it Becomers." I'm 31. I'm not and never will be a Becomer. And I only tune into your network for 25 Days of Christmas. The label of 'Family' is not something that the network wants to be associated with as they grow and try to reach new viewers.
Of course, with Freeform comes a hashtag, and the network will surely be even more social moving forward. Ascheim commented, "Media is oozing onto all sorts of different screens and platforms and it feels kind of free form in the way that people find it. Our audience doesn't see themselves as consumers, but as makers so we wanted a name that felt participatory — they would be part of the process, not just being fed stories."
Freeform. Becomers. Meh. I'm not against a rebranding, as I don't really watch anything on ABC Family, like I said. I just don't care for the name they chose or the way they word and describe their rebranding. What do you think of ABC Family's rebranding and refocus as they transition to their new network name, Freeform?
