ABC Family Lets Go Of 'Pretty Little Liars;' TV Series Is Now Under Freeform!
Starting on Tuesday, Jan. 12, that channel in your cable that is called ABC Family wherein they show popular TV series such as "Pretty Little Liars," will be gone and will be replaced into Freeform. To clarify, the change is only within the name and not some sort of brand overhauling, Forbes assures.
Freeform will still air most, if not all, of the ABC Family network programs including "Pretty Little Liars." In addition, there will be even more new shows that they will introduce that you can obsess over. According to E! Online, a number of stars from different network programs made their own eulogy as a way to pay their proper respects to the network. Below is the one from the Lucy Hale starrer:
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to honor the memory of our friend ABC Family. She died as she lived: Delivering us addictive and heartwarming programming that's kept us entertained since her inception in 2001."
Although some of you may think that the name change is some sort of desperate move to boost ratings, network execs assure you that it is not. "Often when companies decide, at least in the television world, to change their name, they're solving a big business problem," said the network's president Tom Ascheim. "Ratings are down. Money stinks. They need to recruit an entirely new audience. We, thankfully, are suffering from none of these particular ills."
In addition, the name Freeform may be for those who are younger than a "Millennial but old enough to care about ABC Family fare like 'Pretty Little Liars' and 'The Fosters' and you don't watch ABC Family," according to Forbes. So is the netowrk a hit to younger audience? "They love us, and we love them back," Ascheim said. "We talk to them regularly, and we ask them questions. And they fill out surveys on our behalf, talking about us. And we over-index on a wide array of really blush-inducing attributes."
