ABC Family Changes Net Name To Freeform

ABC Family, one of the longtime established cable networks, is undergoing a name change -- Freeform -- to better reflect its young audience getting older.

Freeform looks to target what the company calls “Becomers” -- those 14-34 years old, Millennials and Gen Xers, those who are in high school, college and the decade that follows.

Starting 11 years ago, ABC Family targeted mostly Millennials and Gen Xers. The company says that while today nearly 70% of 12-34 viewers are Millennials, in five years, they will be less than half of the target audience. There are 69 million ”Becomers” in the U.S.

In the third quarter, ABC Family posted an average overall Nielsen 883,000 prime-time viewers -- in 18th place among all cable networks. The network pull was in 13th place in the 18-49 demographic -- for 442,000 prime-time viewers.

The network's strongest results are for younger women viewers 18-34. It posted 189,000 prime-time viewers -- in third place behind MTV (194,000) and VH1 (188,000). It also did well among women 18-49; ABC Family earned 310,000 prime-time viewers, in sixth place among all cable networks.

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Some of ABC Family’s higher-rated shows includes “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Fosters,” “Young and Hungry” and “Baby Daddy.” Those four shows will return in early 2016 for their winter premieres after the name changeover.

New original series’ “Shadowhunters” and “Recovery Road” will start up around that time as well. The company said Freeform will double the network’s original programming over the next four years.

The new name “evokes the spirit and adventure of our audience” states Tom Ascheim, president of ABC Family. ABC Family is in 94 million TV homes.

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