SCI FI Channel to become Syfy; “Imagine Greaterâ€Â

[Roy Mustang]

Building on 16 years of water-cooler programming and soaring ratings growth following its most-watched year ever, SCI FI Channel is evolving into Syfy, beginning this summer, Dave Howe, president, SCI FI, announced today.

By changing the name to Syfy, which remains phonetically identical, the new brand broadens perceptions and embraces a wider range of current and future imagination-based entertainment beyond just the traditional sci-fi genre, including fantasy, supernatural, paranormal, reality, mystery, action and adventure. It also positions the brand for future growth by creating an ownable trademark that can travel easily with consumers across new media and nonlinear digital platforms, new international channels and extend into new business ventures.

"Imagine Greater" will become the new brand message and tagline, inviting both consumers and advertisers into a new era of unlimited imagination, exceptional experiences and greater entertainment.

Syfy more clearly captures the mainstream appeal of the world's biggest entertainment category, and reflects the network's ongoing strategy to create programming that's more accessible and relatable to new audiences. Syfy will continue to celebrate the traditional roots of the genre, while opening the brand to accommodate a broader range of imagination-based entertainment.

"Without abandoning our legacy or our core audience, we needed to cultivate a distinct point of view with a name that we could own that invites more people in and recognizes our broader range of programming with literally something for everyone," Howe said in a statement. "Syfy allows us to build on our 16-year heritage of success with a new brand built on the power that fuels our genre: the imagination. Syfy ushers in a new era of unlimited imagination, exceptional experiences and greater entertainment that paves the way for us to truly become a global lifestyle brand."

Syfy—unlike the generic entertainment category "sci-fi"—firmly establishes a uniquely ownable trademark that is portable across all nonlinear digital platforms and beyond, from Hulu to iTunes. Syfy also creates an umbrella brand name that can extend into new adjacent businesses under the Syfy Ventures banner, including Syfy Games, Syfy Films and Syfy Kids.

Additionally, as the channel's footprint expands rapidly around the globe with the launch of more international channels, Syfy meets the need of a globally relevant, trademarkable brand that stands for something unique to the brand in each territory.

The new brand evolution will launch in July, in tandem with the premiere of the new scripted drama Warehouse 13 on air and at SCIFI.COM, backed by an aggressive marketing campaign, which will kick off this spring.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[Cognitive Gear]

[ShiroiHikari]

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[Azier the Swordsman]

And for their first "greater" stroke of "imagination", they will come up with one of the worst spelled names for a television station ever devised.

[Robin Firedrake]

My money is on this being an onion article that Roy is trying to get us to believe.

[Radical Dreamer]

Why do they feel that they need to change their name in order to air programming that isn't strictly science fiction? More importantly, why is there another channel that feels like it has to leave its original cause to have a greater broadcasting rage? First Cartoon Network, then TV Land...next thing you know, CNN will be showing reality TV, followed by episodes of Star Trek, then the evening news at 6.

[Roy Mustang]

My money is on this being an onion article that Roy is trying to get us to believe.

[url=http://scifiwire.com/2009/03/sci-fi-channel-to-become.php]SCI FI Channel to become Syfy]

[color="Red"]
[font="Book Antiqua"]Col. Roy Mustang[/font]
[/color]

[Robin Firedrake]

Hmm... Sorry for doubting you. It just seemed like something the onion would do and since there was no evidence as to where it originated from...

[Fantasy Dreamer]

One question: why? I mean, they said 'why' but really?

I didn't see anything wrong wit Scifi, It looked better for one, and didn't they already show some 'fantasy' genre stuff in the past? Well, they showed several mini series' that were more 'fantasy' than 'scifi' IMHO. *sighs*

[ShiroiHikari]

Why do they feel that they need to change their name in order to air programming that isn't strictly science fiction? More importantly, why is there another channel that feels like it has to leave its original cause to have a greater broadcasting rage? First Cartoon Network, then TV Land...next thing you know, CNN will be showing reality TV, followed by episodes of Star Trek, then the evening news at 6.

And here is the problem with cable television today.

Personally, I thought the whole dang point of cable was to provide more specialized channels that cater to more defined demographics, so that a channel didn't HAVE to have "something for everyone". And for many years, that's the way it was. But these days we've ended up with 300 of the same freaking channel. What went wrong?

[Roy Mustang]

Am I the only one that keeps wanting to say Stir Fry and not Syfy.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[mechana2015]

http://www.reallifecomics.com/comics/2009/20090317_2186.png

[Shiningmonk_e]

look on the bright side; maybe they're done with those terrible Sci-Fi original movies XD. Oh noes! The Nazis have Gargoyles on their side!!

[Fantasy Dreamer]

Am I the only one that keeps wanting to say Stir Fry and not Syfy.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

Lol, not anymore your not. 'Cause now I'll think "stir fry" whenever I see this thread now. XD

[quote="Shiningmonk_e (post: 1297958)"]look on the bright side]
If only... those movies are the worst. Nazi gargoyles... don't give them any ideas.

[ShiroiHikari]

I don't know about anybody else but from now on I am going to call it "Siffy". Because that's what it looks like.

And I will never ever ever ever ever write a song about Siffy.

[Roy Mustang]

Nazi gargoyles... don't give them any ideas.

They already did a movie about that.

Reign of the Gargoyles

But still, it wasn't the worst Sci Fi Nazi movie they did.

SS Doomtrooper

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[Fantasy Dreamer]

They already did a movie about that.

Reign of the Gargoyles

But still, it wasn't the worst Sci Fi Nazi movie they did.

SS Doomtrooper

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

Yeah, I figured. But still... no giving them ideas!

[rocklobster]

Why are they going to change the name? In the words of Linkara:
Pool Literact is Kewl!

[ilikegir33]

Stir Fry: Imagine General Tso's Chicken.

A message that we do NOT want to try and send to sci-fi fanboys. Thanks to this dreaded name change, sales at P.F. Changs and Panda Express will be WAY up.

Why do they feel that they need to change their name in order to air programming that isn't strictly science fiction? More importantly, why is there another channel that feels like it has to leave its original cause to have a greater broadcasting rage? First Cartoon Network, then TV Land...next thing you know, CNN will be showing reality TV, followed by episodes of Star Trek, then the evening news at 6.

Agreed. Don't forget other channels that have left their original causes such as Animal Planet, Toon Disney (now called Disney XD...UGH), ABC Family (they showed Cruel Intentions on there, albeit in edited form. To think that a channel that used to be owned by CBN would come down to this), and TLC (call it the The Loser Channel, because it's nothing but tabloid programming).

[ShiroiHikari]

I know, I used to love TLC but now it shows some of my least favorite shows on television. :[

[Fish and Chips]

I would watch a show about General Tso.

SciFi would cancel it after its first season run, somehow never release it on DVD, and conveniently forget about it like they do everything I love, but I would watch it.

I'd comment further here except that I haven't watched television in the last 3 years that didn't end in -Food Network or -Discovery Channel, which are apparently the only two channels capable of retaining their original audience. It helps that they are completely awesome I suppose.

[ADXC]

I would watch a show about General Tso.

Agreed. I love General Tso's chicken.

I'd comment further here except that I haven't watched television in the last 3 years that didn't end in -Food Network or -Discovery Channel, which are apparently the only two channels capable of retaining their original audience. It helps that they are completely awesome I suppose.

Well, Id still say that the Travel channel is still the "Travel" channel. But really, part of me thinks that the Travel channel is a collaboration of Animal Planet, Food Network, and Discovery. Either way I still enjoy the channel. Gotta love Anthony Bordain, Andrew Zimmerman(SP?), and Samantha Brown for their travels and getting to show us(The lowly life forms of the slums) how great it is to do a little work(Commenting on the stuff they do) for a lot of travel. Although I do imagine it is stressful at times and also risky(Especially for Andrew. "Oh man, I can't believe he's really going to eat it! Man, he's going to have some kind of disease after this.).

I really liked the Sci Fi logo too. SyFy? Come on, this looks like some kind logo of some mutant degenerate form of what it once was. Not everybody pronounces the Y as an I all the time so there is bound to be great confussion.

[ClosetOtaku]

And here is the problem with cable television today.

Personally, I thought the whole dang point of cable was to provide more specialized channels that cater to more defined demographics, so that a channel didn't HAVE to have "something for everyone". And for many years, that's the way it was. But these days we've ended up with 300 of the same freaking channel. What went wrong?

The economics of demographics.

There's a simple analogy: two hot dog stands open up on opposite ends of a beach. People will only walk to the closest hot dog stand. Despite their respective captive audiences, all that room in the center is still contested. Each hot dog stand recognizes this, and moves away from their end of the beach, closer to the center, until they are both side by side.

"SyFy" (heaven help us all) is just another victim of executives who care little about a niche demographic and are after capturing viewers who are outside their core. More money to be made, or so they think. And, as you said, they continue to abandon their devoted slice of the pie in order to get more viewers (hence more revenue). That, and not the concept that some people might like Science Fiction programming, is what is driving their reward structure.

Nothing 'wrong', other than they are motivated by money...