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Sci-Fi channel to re-brand itself "SyFy"

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  • Sci-Fi channel to re-brand itself "SyFy"

    IMO a lame attempt to deny their roots and sound 'cool'. It's also another sign that NBC's management is out of its freaking mind (their primetime lineup, CNBC and MSNBC being other examples)

    Link....

    Sci Fi Channel Aims to Shed Geeky Image With New Name

    ‘Syfy’ Will Announce Name Change, Other Plans at Upfront


    By Jon Lafayette

    In some universe, the name “Syfy” is less geeky than the name “Sci Fi.” Dave Howe, president of the Sci Fi Channel, is betting it’s this one.

    To that end, the 16-year-old network—owned by NBC Universal—plans to announce that Syfy is its new name March 16 at its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York.

    “What we love about this is we hopefully get the best of both worlds,” Mr. Howe said. “We’ll get the heritage and the track record of success, and we’ll build off of that to build a broader, more open and accessible and relatable and human-friendly brand.”

    Sci Fi is coming off the best year in its history. In primetime it ranked 13th in total viewers among ad-supported cable networks in 2008. It’s a top-10 network in both adults 18 to 49 (up 4%) and adults 25 to 54 (up 6%).

    During its fourth-quarter earnings call, parent General Electric said Sci Fi racked up a double-digit increase in operating earnings despite the beginnings of the recession.

    Nevertheless, there was always a sneaking suspicion that the name was holding the network back.

    “The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network.

    Mr. Brooks said that when people who say they don’t like science fiction enjoy a film like “Star Wars,” they don’t think it’s science fiction; they think it’s a good movie.

    “We spent a lot of time in the ’90s trying to distance the network from science fiction, which is largely why it’s called Sci Fi,” Mr. Brooks said. “It’s somewhat cooler and better than the name ‘Science Fiction.’ But even the name Sci Fi is limiting.”


    Mr. Howe said going to Syfy will make a difference.

    “It gives us a unique word and it gives us the opportunities to imbue it with the values and the perception that we want it to have,” he said.
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    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2
    I'm glad the Canadian equivilant is called "Space"

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    • #3
      Effin' MBAs.

      Kevin

      Comment


      • #4
        You know, in polish this word is a plural form of: crap, junk, shit, mess, syphilis. When used strictly in plural it could also be used to describe some hobos/tramps/bums.

        And afaik this is quite common/similar in many slavic languages

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Nowhere View Post
          You know, in polish this word is a plural form of: crap, junk, shit, mess, syphilis. When used strictly in plural it could also be used to describe some hobos/tramps/bums.

          And afaik this is quite common/similar in many slavic languages

          One of my coworkers is from Poland and he confirmed those are all valid definitions. He said it depended greatly on the context though. 'Syf' is the actual word, 'syfy' is the plural form. He nearly fell over laughing when I told him and showed the Penny Arcade comic.

          “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
          –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

          Comment


          • #6
            "Syfy" is less geeky than "SciFi"? Delusional.

            Shortly to become Styfy to it's former customers no doubt.
            Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

            Maybe some other company will start an actual Science Fiction channel after the fall.
            Chuck
            秋音的爸爸

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