The start of the new year brings numerous changes, and the famous channel ABC Family seems to be endorsing in this idea. To mark the start of 2016, ABC Family is making the bold move of changing it’s name to Freeform. ABC Family has carried a reputation among the Millennial generation, and the change comes as a shock to many. However, the image of the channel is changing, and in order for the company to achieve success, the name needs to reflect its content. Within the last five years, ABC Family has evolved from airing wholesome, family-friendly content to more mature content suitable for an adolescent to young adult crowd. Therefore, as the new year approached, the network faced the decision of whether to continue marketing toward a teenage audience, Generation Z, or switch gears and market toward their original audience, the Millennials.

The decision was made when the company officially changed its thirty-year-old name of “ABC Family” to “Freeform” this January. Marketing toward the teenage generation seemed like the best bet, but continuing with a misleading name was counterproductive. The new age range was determined to be fourteen to thirty-four, and including “family” in the channel’s name would not attract this age group. Thus, “Freeform” has been adopted to evoke a feeling of independence and renewal in viewers. The network wants to promote finding one’s identity and hopes the channel can assist in that. Shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Switched At Birth, and The Fosters will continue to be the image presented by Freeform and allows the company to grow in the coming years.

On January 12th of this year, the network officially changed its name and along with it a new show, Shadowhunters, was added. This show is based upon the book series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. The first book, City of Bones, was made into a movie in 2013, but production ended afterward when the movie flopped due to its inaccurate casting and disloyalty to the storyline. Since then, rumors floated around that a television series would be made, and now it has. Freeform has taken on this series, with each book equal to one season (6 books/seasons total) and is an intelligent marketing move. The fans of the books will build the views and platform for the renovated channel, as well as define what Freeform is about; ordinary teenagers who can do extraordinary things.

Information about the name change credit to: http://www.ew.com/article/2015/10/06/abc-family-changing-name-freeform