Freeform (TV channel)

Freeform, previously known as ABC Family, is an American pay television channel that is owned by the Disney Cable Networks division of Walt Disney Television, a unit of the Disney Media Networks segment of The Walt Disney Company. Freeform primarily broadcasts programming geared toward teenagers and young adults – with some programming skewing toward young women – in the 14–34 age range, a target demographic designated by the channel as "becomers". Its programming includes contemporary off-network syndicated reruns and original series, feature films, and made-for-TV original movies.

Since the network was launched on April 29, 1977, it has undergone various changes to its programming format and naming under its four different owners. The network was founded as a religious channel, the CBN Satellite Service—an extension of televangelist Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. It evolved into a family-focused entertainment network in 1981, and was spun off into a for-profit company known as International Family Entertainment (IFE) in 1990, eventually becoming known as The Family Channel. As a condition of the spin-off, the channel was contractually required to maintain airings of The 700 Club and an annual telethon on the last Sunday in January; these conditions have applied to all future owners of the channel.

In 1997, IFE and The Family Channel were acquired by a joint venture between News Corporation and Saban Entertainment, resulting in its re-branding as the Fox Family Channel a year later. The new owners wanted to re-position the network towards younger viewers as a companion for their popular Fox Kids programming block. After the network began to struggle as a result of their changes, the venture was sold to Disney in October 2001, in a sale that also included Saban; the channel altered its name to ABC Family one month later on November 10, 2001. On October 6, 2015, Disney–ABC Television Group announced that the network would rebrand as Freeform, officially adopting that name on January 12, 2016.

As of January 2016, Freeform is available to 92 million households in the United States.

Early history (1977–1998)
The channel traces its origins to the launch of the CBN Satellite Service (CBN Satellite Network), an arm of Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), on April 29, 1977. Focusing mainly on religious programming, the channel was notable for being one of the first cable channels to distribute its signal nationally through satellite transmission (the third overall, as the method had been first pioneered by HBO in September 1975) as well as the first national basic cable-originated network (TBS – which became the second cable channel in the U.S. to begin transmitting via satellite in December 1976 – originated as a feed of broadcast television station WTCG (now WPCH-TV) in Atlanta, Georgia). The channel changed its name to the CBN Cable Network on September 1, 1981, and adopted a more secular programming format featuring a mix of family-oriented series and films while retaining some religious programs from various televangelists (mirroring the format used by CBN's independent television stations of that time). Around this time, the channel began airing a late night block of classic family oriented shows like You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx, I Married Joan, and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. This block of programming is said by some to have inspired the 1985 debut of the Nick at Nite classic TV block on Nickelodeon. By this point, its carriage grew to 10.9 million homes with a cable television subscription.

On January 1, 1988, the word "Family" was incorporated into the channel's name to better reflect its programming format, rebranding as The CBN Family Channel. By 1990, the network had grown too profitable to remain under the Christian Broadcasting Network umbrella without endangering the ministry's non-profit status. On January 8 of that year, CBN spun out the network into a new, for-profit corporation known as International Family Entertainment (IFE). Managed by Pat Robertson's eldest son Timothy, IFE was co-owned by the Robertsons, with a minority interest held by Liberty Media and Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) owner John C. Malone. Following the spin-off, the channel's name was officially shortened to The Family Channel on September 15, 1990.

As a stipulation included as part of the spin-out from CBN to International Family Entertainment, The Family Channel was required to continue its daily airings of CBN's flagship program, The 700 Club. During this time, from 1994 to 1997, The Family Channel sponsored NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver Ted Musgrave in the #16 Ford Thunderbird for Roush Racing.

Programming
Outside of prime time, Freeform offers a slate of mostly reruns of contemporary comedy series and animated sitcom series, such as The Middle, Family Guy and ‘’The Simpsons’’. The channel previously aired America's Funniest Home Videos 1994-97 Saget episodes in 2006-10 and Tom Bergeron episodes in 2010-14, and Whose Line is it Anyway in 2002-10.

The channel also produces some original programming, which includes shows such as The Bold Type, Marvel's Cloak & Dagger, Grown-ish, Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings, Good Trouble and Siren. Until the debuts of Melissa & Joey (which ran from 2010 to 2015), and Baby Daddy (which ran from 2012 to 2017), Freeform (as ABC Family) had long faced minimal success with its original sitcoms, with its drama series often outlasting its comedies.

Freeform airs its original drama series on Monday and/or Tuesday nights, and since 2011 (beginning under the former ABC Family brand), has aired its comedy series on Wednesdays. The channel airs first-run episodes of its original series mainly between January and August, with films generally airing in their place during prime time on the aforementioned nights from September to December (the only exception since 2010, have been annual Halloween episodes of Pretty Little Liars that air as part of the 13 Nights of Halloween in October as well as the debut of the first third of season one of Ravenswood in October 2013); the first ten episodes (or as few as eight for new series) of each season of its original programs air consecutively, the season's remaining episodes are broadcast following a hiatus of four to six months. Dating back to its existence as ABC Family, Freeform typically only reruns episodes of its original series in a marathon that airs prior to a season premiere, mid-season or season finale, or other special occasion, though the channel does air encore presentations of its shows that typically preempt programs that normally air at 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time during the rest of the week on these nights (with the previous week's episode airing in the former time slot prior to the newest episode and a same-night encore of the newest episode on the evening of an episode premiere in the latter time slot).

Current

 * Funday Weekend - Launched in late 2014, "Funday Weekend" is a two-day event that occurs once a month. During "Funday Weekend", Freeform plays multiple Disney/Pixar movies, as well as other family-friendly movies, such as The Little Rascals and Despicable Me. "Funday" usually plays movies from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
 * 30 Days of Disney - In September 2019, the network introduced 30 Days of Disney—an event that features airings of films from Disney properties. The event was sub-divided into themed weeks, including "Villains Week" (highlighting iconic villains from Disney films), "Pirates Week" (featuring the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise), "Singalong Week", and a week highlighting female characters. The event would also include the network premieres of Iron Man and Descendants 3, and a new special highlighting the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attractions at Disney Parks.

Seasonal

 * 31 Nights of Halloween (originally 13 Days of Halloween and later 13 Nights of Halloween) - The channel aired specials, such as Casper: A Spirited Beginning, Casper Meets Wendy, The Haunting of Seacliff Inn, Lost Souls, Addams Family Reunion, Spiral Staircase, Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive, The Hollow, When Good Ghouls Go Bad, and Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare. Also aired was the TV Series Scariest Places On Earth. Starting in 2006, this holiday lineup shifted towards more family oriented films, such as The Haunted Mansion, The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, and "Harry Potter Weekends" (consisting of the first six Harry Potter films). Hocus Pocus, which rose to the status of a cult film through its showings on the block, has been a featured part of the block for decades, eventually receiving its own marathon within the block in 2017.
 * 25 Days of Christmas and Kickoff To Christmas – The channel has been known for airing many Christmas specials, such as the Rankin-Bass programs The Little Drummer Boy and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. It has since expanded this holiday programming, adding made-for-television and theatrically-released movies, a litany of Rankin-Bass sequels (this was complicated somewhat because the broadcast rights of some of the original specials, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, were still owned by CBS), and other original programming to create "The 25 Days of Christmas". This program block airs in prime time on weekdays and from noon through prime time on weekends from December 1 to 25th each year, and has existed since 1996 under Freeform's previous brands. The block has aired some movies that are not necessarily holiday-related. The "25 Days of Christmas" also features special Christmas episodes of the channel's original series (with seven different shows airing Christmas specials in 2014, including The Fosters, Pretty Little Liars, Chasing Life, Baby Daddy, Switched at Birth, and Melissa and Joey). As of 2017, the "25 Days of Christmas" name is now used for most of its sister channels, such as Disney Junior, Disney Channel, Disney XD and ABC.

Former

 * Cable Health Club – In 1994, as The Family Channel, the channel ran programming from sister channel, the Cable Health Club, as part of a daytime block on Monday through Friday mornings, featuring the fitness instruction programs Tamilee Webb and Body by Jake.
 * The Game Channel – Premiering on June 7, 1993, The Family Channel debuted a 2½-hour game show block in preparation for the planned launch of the cable channel of roughly the same name (which never launched), featuring reruns of Let's Make a Deal and Name That Tune, as well as two first-run shows based on the board game Trivial Pursuit (both hosted by Wink Martindale). By August of that year, the block was expanded to three hours.
 * The Positive Place – Running from 1991 to 1994 as The Family Channel, "The Positive Place" was a weekly block that aired Sunday early evenings (from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time) featuring first-run episodes and reruns of original and acquired programs (including Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop, Maniac Mansion, Big Brother Jake, and Zorro).
 * It's Itsy Bitsy Time! – A preschool-oriented block that ran on the Fox Family channel (later ABC Family) from September 1999 until August 2002. The show is similar to Cartoon Network's Small World, as it hosted several children's cartoons from across the world, including 64 Zoo Lane, Tom and Vicky, The Animal Shelf, Budgie the Little Helicopter, and Charley and Mimmo.
 * ABC Family Action Block / Jetix – The "ABC Family Action Block" debuted on the network in March 2002 (as part of a reduction of its children's programming), featuring various live action and (primarily) animated children's programs such as Medabots, Beyblade, Digimon: Digital Monsters, Daigunder, and Get Ed. The block was rebranded as "Jetix" in February 2004, at the same time that Toon Disney launched its own action-oriented block of the same name. Of its long list of programs, the Power Rangers series was its most successful. ABC Family's Jetix block was discontinued in September 2006, at the same time the companion Toon Disney block was expanded (taking over more than half of that channel's schedule).
 * That's So Throwback – Launched in 2015 as a month-long programming stunt, "That's So Throwback" was a block of Disney Channel original programs (similar in format to that network's "Disney Replay" block) that aired Monday through Fridays from 12:00 to 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time. It featured a lineup of five Disney Channel Original Series from the 2000s each Monday through Thursday night (consisting of Even Stevens, That's So Raven, Hannah Montana, and Kim Possible, with a select Disney Channel Original Movie from the late 1990s and 2000s airing on Fridays.

ABC Spark (Canada)
On October 26, 2011, The Walt Disney Company and Toronto-based media company Corus Entertainment entered into a partnership to launch a Canadian version of ABC Family, ABC Spark, which launched on March 23, 2012. The channel, which is licensed by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission as a Category B specialty channel (which under CRTC rules, allows Canadian digital cable and direct-broadcast satellite providers to optionally choose to carry the channel), is aimed at teenagers and young adults between 15 and 34 years of age.

The ABC Spark name was purposefully chosen to avoid conflicts with premium service Family Channel. Before the exclusive Canadian television rights to their programming formally transferred to Corus in January 2016 (through a broader deal struck in April 2015 that involved the launches of domestic English and French language versions of the three channels as sisters to ABC Spark), Family maintained a licensing agreement with Disney Channels Worldwide that gave it territorial rights to the programming libraries of Disney Channel, Disney Junior (as well as its predecessor preschool programming block, Playhouse Disney), and Disney XD (Allarcom and First Choice first proposed the "Family Channel" name for the Canadian service in 1987, and jointly launched it in September 1988, one month after the American channel changed its name to The CBN Family Channel).

While ABC Spark did not follow the lead of its U.S. counterpart and change its name to Freeform, it did adopt similar branding elements.

The Family Channel/Challenge (U.K.)
In 1993, International Family Entertainment, in partnership with Flextech, launched an international version of The Family Channel in the United Kingdom, featuring a mix of original family-oriented programming, reruns of American series and programming from the MTM Enterprises/TVS library. In April 1996, International Family Entertainment sold its 61% controlling interest to Flextech, giving that company full control of the channel. On February 3, 1997, the network was relaunched as Challenge TV, which changed the network's primary focus to game shows.