FOR years, television viewers, journalists who write about TV and services that compile listings have wondered how to refer to a certain cable network: Sci Fi Channel? Sci-Fi Channel? SciFi Channel? SCI FI Channel?Soon, to paraphrase Rod Serling — whose vintage series, “The Twilight Zone,” is a mainstay of the Sci Fi Channel — executives will submit for public approval another name, not only of sight and sound but of mind, meant to signal a channel whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead — your next stop, Syfy.
Plans call for Sci Fi and its companion Web site (scifi.com) to morph into the oddly spelled Syfy — pronounced the same as “Sci Fi” — on July 7. The new name will be accompanied by the slogan “Imagine Greater,” which replaces a logo featuring a stylized version of Saturn.
A channel called Syfy will, presumably, not be confused with SyFi Global, an information technology company; S.Y.F.I., the Summer Youth Forestry Institute; or Syfo seltzer, sold by Universal Beverages.
The tweaking of the Sci Fi name, introduced in 1992, is part of a rebranding campaign that seeks to distinguish the channel and its programming from cable competitors — 75 of which are also measured by the Nielsen ratings service.
The Syfy name is to be introduced on Monday to advertisers and agencies by executives of Sci Fi, part of the NBC Universal Cable Entertainment division of NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric.
The name will be revealed at an upfront presentation, when networks try to win commitments by advertisers to blocks of commercial time before the start of the next TV season. Cable channels will spend this month and next making upfront presentations; the broadcast networks will follow in April and May.
One big advantage of the name change, the executives say, is that Sci Fi is vague — so generic, in fact, that it could not be trademarked. Syfy, with its unusual spelling, can be, which is also why diapers are called Luvs, an online video Web site is called Joost and a toothpaste is called Gleem.
“We couldn’t own Sci Fi; it’s a genre,” said Bonnie Hammer, the former president of Sci Fi who became the president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. “But we can own Syfy.”
Another benefit of the new name is that it is not “throwing the baby away with the bath water,” she added, because it is similar enough to the Sci Fi brand to convey continuity to “the fan-boys and -girls who love the genre.”
Ms. Hammer and her successor as Sci Fi president, Dave Howe, said they had sat through many meetings over the years at which a name change was debated.
The principal reason the idea kept coming up, Mr. Howe said, was a belief “the Sci Fi name is limiting.”
“If you ask people their default perceptions of Sci Fi, they list space, aliens and the future,” he added. “That didn’t capture the full landscape of fantasy entertainment: the paranormal, the supernatural, action and adventure, superheroes.”
That became more important as Sci Fi expanded its program offerings into those realms, Mr. Howe said, with series like “Destination Truth” and “Ghost Hunters.”
And a shorter, more memorable name is more readily “attached to new businesses,” he added, like movies, video games, mobile content and additional channels overseas.
Source: NY Times
Of all the closed minded, stupid, idiotic and pathetic ideas I've heard, this one is a doozy. SyFy...of all the names they could have picked they choose that one. Obviously someone with no understanding of science-fiction has come up with that idea. Plus why rebrand something anyway. If they can't tradmark Sci-Fi then why not trademark Sci-Fi Channel? There problem solved.
How can they say the Sci-Fi Channel needs to be changed to distinguish it from other channels? What other channels are there that you confuse with the Sci-Fi Channel? I'm drawing a blank, yet the NY Times article points out a few things that could be confused with the new SyFy name.
If they say that Sci-Fi has limited preconceptions then my preconception of SyFy is of a 2 year old trying to spell sci-fi or television executives who wouldn't understand science or fiction trying to be cool in front of their boss. They should all be shot with some kind of Syience Fyction death ray. Idiots!
What do you think of the name change?
Leave a comment on this post below.
HOME - Discuss in the Forum
6 comments:
You made a good point! I really don't like the new name and it's lame to change it to that. Ugh.
Comical to the point of absurdity! We're currently seeing a lot of rebranding going on for the 'UK' channels with appearances of Dave, Eden etc but these actually serve a purpose in that the channels in question have specialised to certain genres and markets. 'SyFy', from what i can gather, isn't changing anything other than it's name and for no other reason than to acquire the trademark. As you've already pointed out 'Sci Fi Channel' would've had the same result. Conclusion - pointless!
gross.
Really...is this a joke? How much did the execs at "The Sci-Fi Channel" pay this marketing/PR company to come up with this new name...which is the same as the old name. The BBC should rebrand to B.B.SEE, NBC to En.Bee.Sea, or FOX to FOKS....hold on I could be onto a winner here, does anyone know any PR companies looking for talent?
That is one of the most retarded sounding rebrands I've ever heard. Who thought of it, but more importantly who said "Hey, that's a great idea!"
Bunch of dicks. Used to watch Sci-Fi channel but I now may turn over and watch something that doesn't have such a stupid name as SyFy.
Syfy? Seriously? =shakes head= What a bunch of maroons. Makes me glad we have the Space channel here in Canada
Space - what Syfy could have been if they'd taken the whole thing seriously.
Post a Comment