As I reported back on March 16th, The Sci-Fi Channel is changing it’s name to Syfy. This name change is part of a brand image change by the 16-year-old network and it’s due to happen on July 7th, 2009.
“Syfy, imagine greater.” Take notice of the proper spelling. There is no upper case F in the name.
This change is part of a plan to create their own marketable brand while still staying connected to the roots that have served them so well for more than 15 years. It’s also a specifically coined term that they can copyright for themselves, unlike the term Sci-Fi which is generic across so many mediums. Syfy will now make web searches and other references attributable to their own content.
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Under this new brand umbrella, they’re looking to expand their horizons with things like new television series’. Some of these new shows will be tied into online multiplayer games to attract their newest hope for a demographic, the youth market. Dave Howe pretty much confirmed this when he became president of the Sci-Fi Channel back in January of 2008.
On top of the online presence, there will also be original Syfy content with projects like Riverworld, Phantom, Alice and a remake of the 1988 film, Alien Nation, just to name a few.
The change is going to be heralded by an event at Rockefeller Plaza and Syfy’s first official series under their new moniker will be Warehouse 13 which is premiering on July 7th with its 2-hour pilot. According the Syfy, the show is a pop-culture-crazed amalgam of Bones, X-Files and The Adventures of Brisco County Jr..
Howe says that Warehouse 13 is the epitome of their new brand. I’m not sure how that works out yet, but my educated guess is that this show will have an online presence. Since the premise of this show is locating artifacts, I’ll go out on a limb and guess that they’ll have some sort of online game where you search for things.
Perspectives On The Change
Aside from what some fans are sneering about in regards to the name change, Howe said that their research showed that aside from their already installed core audience, most folk believe that the network telecasts shows about Star Trek, space aliens and the future.
Syfy understands that this modification to their identity will take some time to grow on us. As if we have a choice. July 7th is the magic date when everything changes for Syfy… or at least they hope it does.
If Howe is on track with this mod to the network name / logo, it should work for them and move them up in the rankings of networks. He was the man behind the marketing of Tin Man, Battlestar Galactica and Eureka. Before he came to Syfy he also had a very successful 15 year run at the BBC where he led marketing teams for BBC’s 17 UK, BBC America, BBC World, BBC One and BBC Two. He also led the teams responsible for launching BBC News 24, BBC America, BBC Canada, BBC Choice, BBC Knowledge, BBC Three, BBC Four, UK Horizons, UK Drama, UK Style, UK Play, and UK Food.
He’s got a good track record and you have to admit, if his efforts work then we may actually get more of what we like and possibly, more originality in the process.
I’m not waving the flag for other “projects” like WWE that are at the network now, but if they can stay afloat and keep bringing us shows like Battlestar Galactica and its spin-offs, more awesome original content like Tin Man and get their hands on the rights to more syndicated repeats of Moonlight and the like, then to some degree we win. We just have to weather the other noise aimed at other demographics.
With that in mind, for my own selfish reasons, I hope this works.
Do you feel the same for this name change as I do?
As always, your comments and opinions are welcome here on Screen Rant.
Sources: News Day, NY Daily News
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17 Comments
So this is born out of Google search engine exclusivity.
Wherehouse 13 reminds me of Hanger 18 and the premise sounds like “Friday the 13th The Series”…
But then Syfy reminds me of SciFi hmmm.
I’m sure after spending millions on this name change the network thinks it will payoff. Personally it has no impact on me…
I will continue to watch Syfy, or Sci-Fi as it were, much as I have for the last 15 years or so. They have always had hits and misses, and as long as the core stays the same, a name change is something I can ignore.
HEY SPELLING THINGS WRONG IS COOL-CAN YOU RENEW TERMINATOR SARA CONNORS CHRONICLES?….
In recent years, I usually have trouble finding a show on the SciFi Channel that interests me enough to actually watch. And I’m a “Sci Fi fan.” Some of that has to do with my schedule, but it always seems like when I check to see what’s on, it’s some schlocky monster movie, horror movie, or Ghost Hunters. The programming makes the channel name meaningless. The lesson they should take from Battlestar: Galactica is “if you program it, they will come.” Instead, it seems the lesson they learned is that they should make their next Stargate series dark and gritty. I agree with both of the above posts … the programming makes the difference, not the name.
It’s not specifically a Google thing, but rather, the ability of the network to copyright their own name and be unique. I actually get that.
And yes, we can all hope that they learn their lessons and try to at least create intermittent successes.
made my feelings known about this rebranding in the earlier thread. While this guy has a proven track record with other network programming, I simply hope that they mine the genre and develop shows properly. I have yet to see any remake that they have done that was worth the time with the notable exception of the Battlestar Galactica series and their successful mining of the stargate series.
What I like about the network as it stands, lots of great reruns from various trek incarnations to the X-Files to the twilight zone and outer limits and other limited run shows.
Some of the original programming isn’t bad, i.e. Eureka.
What I dislike is all the attention paid to the horror stuff and the bad monster movies. Also, if you’re gonna remake a classic, i.e. the andromeda strain, try and make it at least as entertaining as the original or don’t bother. For the love of Hulk Hogan, can the wrestling wouldya?
I hear ya piratedan.
They actually admitted to the cheese factor of their Saturday night movies… and yet, they do well enough on that night to warrant them to continue to have fun with these high pressurized blood squirt movies…
If they have at least one good show a season for me to hook onto, I’m good with whatever they do.
I’m sorry… this is still the gayest name, ever.
I heard tonight that Alien Nation has been greenlit as a remake tv show. Possibly to air later on SyFy.
Yea – I mentioned that in this article…
How’s everyone feel about that? Another remake. Oh goodie.
They probably consider Alien Nation a good deal because it’s science fiction with few VFX shots and the ability to use current locations for shooting instead of lots of new sets … their biggest expense will be the makeup. I never got into the original, so this doesn’t really move me one way or the other. Especially if they just make it a police procedural with aliens.
Sci-Fi or SyFy..WHO CARES?
All I know is can I sue Syfy for the 2 hours they stole from me by watching the WORST program I have ever seen?…Yes, I am speaking of Warehouse 13.
That show SUCKS…NO SERIOUS OR FUNNY PLOT, ACTORS ARE NOT CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER AND OVERALL THE SHOW IS ALL OVER THE PLACE…NO DIRECTION WHAT SO EVER!!!
Dude, Mark…
That so doesn’t help. It will start here in 1 hour, and the ads have done nothing for me to want to watch it and now your take on the show just killed whatever forced enthusiasm I’ve been trying to trick myself into! LOL…
All joking aside, I’m just gonna hit it up in as neutral a mind as possible and we’ll all talk about it soon!
Bruce
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