SciFi channel to become.. SyFy channel

Krug

Newshound

• Mar 17, 2009

• #1

SCI FI Channel to become Syfy; “Imagine Greater” is new message | SCI FI Wire

Talk about bad name changes...

 

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Mouseferatu

Hero

• Mar 17, 2009

• #2

It's even worse if you read their commentary about why they went with the new name.

The only thing that bugs me more than people acting deliberately stupid is people treating me (as part of their audience) as though I'm stupid.

 

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fba827

Adventurer

• Mar 17, 2009

• #3

... why do I feel like my iq has to be lower to watch a "syfy channel" vs. "scifi channel"?

ah well, what can ya do...

 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator

Staff member

Supporter

• Mar 17, 2009

• #4

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.

Click to expand...

I can see the phonetic name-change from a marketing/trademark view. THAT makes sense.

As for the programming? Most of the genres mentioned are OK for the channel, but the last 3 are so broad that we won't know exactly what they're doing until they do it. It was bad enough that they put wrestling on the channel, now they're diluting the channel further with mystery? *gak**urk**bleh*

Hopefully, this won't prove to be the camel's nose under the tent, like when MTV started airing game shows and reality shows that had nothing to do with music, heralding the change from Music Television to a teen/young adult lifestyle network.

(Thank God for VH1 Classic and Palladium!)

 

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RigaMortus2

First Post

• Mar 17, 2009

• #5

True dat

 

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RigaMortus2

First Post

• Mar 17, 2009

• #6

True dat

 

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GrayLinnorm

Explorer

• Mar 17, 2009

• #7

I saw this on IMDb. They say it's supposed to be cutting edge, but it just sounds stupid? The guy who writes their movies must have come up with the name.

 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator

Staff member

Supporter

• Mar 17, 2009

• #8

"Psi-Fi" would have been better on some level, but might have been seen by some as too narrow.

Other than that, if you want a good, marketable trademark name- without losing phonetic similarity, that is- I can't see them doing much better. I might have gone with "Imagine TV" or something, though that might risk losing some watchers for a while.

Corporate name changes are tricky, tricky things.

 

Brown Jenkin

First Post

• Mar 17, 2009

• #9

GrayLinnorm said:

I saw this on IMDb. They say it's supposed to be cutting edge, but it just sounds stupid? The guy who writes their movies must have come up with the name.

Click to expand...

Correction, thats Movys. Given what they produce themselves it would be less insulting to real movies.

 

Ed_Laprade

Adventurer

• Mar 17, 2009

• #10

Well, its not like they were actually showing much more science fiction than anyone esle, anyway. (I've been thinking of it as the Horror Channel for quite some time now.)