ABC Family changes name to Freeform; what this means for ‘Pretty Little Liars,’ other shows

For the first time since it launched decades ago, ABC Family is undergoing a big change: “Family” will no longer be a part of its name.

The network announced on Tuesday that they are switching their name to Freeform, which is going to be a way for the network to appeal further to their new desired audience: Young adults, or people who are undergoing major life changes. They still want that teenage audience, but they also want young adults to watch the network without associating it with kiddie programming. That seems to be the primary impetus, based on the majority of the information we are seeing, behind the big change.

We know that the majority of viewers do not care so much about the name change as they do their favorite shows, so with that in mind, we pose the following question: What does this mean for what you watch? The short answer is “not much,” since “Pretty Little Liars” will still be around on the new platform, and we imagine that the same goes for “The Fosters” and “Switched at Birth” if they are handed the necessarily support. “Chasing Life” was already (unfortunately) canceled, and the upcoming “Shadowhunters” is going to be one of the primary launching pads for the network.

As far as names go, we’d say that we for the most part dig this one. “Freeform” is at least something cool and different, but we’d appreciate it more if the programming was actually freeform and experimental. We don’t get the sense that this is going to happen.

For now, what do you think of the new name, and do you hate this sort of thing mostly for the sake of having to keep track of the new name? Share below, and head over here to get some other TV news on all we cover, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC Family.)