We knew it was happening in January and now we know the date. ABC Family announced today the network will officially be renamed Freeform on Tuesday, January 12, the same day as the season premiere of its No. 1 hit series, Pretty Little Liars, and the world premiere of its new original series, Shadowhunters.
The network says the name Freeform speaks to its ongoing priority to “super-serve Becomers, fans on that epic adventure of becoming an adult, a life stage that spans people who are ages 14-34.”
“The Freeform brand represents the passion, fun, energy and new ideas that infuse young adulthood,” said ABC Family President Tom Ascheim. “We’ve been evolving naturally for a while now, so it’s time that our name reflects the true essence of our brand. We are excited to take our network in some new directions and continue to evolve alongside culture while delivering those favorite shows our viewers already love.”
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The network’s new series in the works include supernatural series Beyond, from executive producer Tim Kring; thriller series Guilt; horror tale Dead of Summer, from Once Upon a Time creators Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis, with Ian Goldberg and the recently announced new reality series The Letter. Additional projects include the pilot Famous in Love from Pretty Little Liars producer I. Marlene King, based on the novel by Rebecca Serle; and the Nicki Minaj comedy project, which is inspired by Nicki’s life growing up in Queens.
Freeform will replace ABC Family on all channel line-ups on January 12; its channel number will not change.
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