ABC Family becoming Freeform for ‘Pretty Little Liars’ season 6 return, ‘Shadowhunters’ premiere

Think of this as ABC Family being incredibly strategic in their name change to Freeform. They want to launch it with the largest audience possible, and with that in mind, the network is swapping over on Tuesday, January 12, otherwise known as the premiere date for “Pretty Little Liars” season 6B and the new series “Shadowhunters,” one of the most-anticipated of the first part of the year.

Is it the right move to make this move happen on this date? We certainly understand the advantages. You want to inform your audience about the name change, and from there you have some other matters to attend to, including getting the branding right and then reaching out beyond your core fans to let them know that this is an attractive new destination for shows they may like.

It may sound completely out there, but if we were ABC Family we would probably propose some sort of radical idea, one where you turned the name change into a big event during “Pretty Little Liars,” where everyone knew that it was swapping over so that when they watched next week, they’d be well aware that the network is going by a different name. Plus, you could get a couple of cast members involved at some sort of swanky event. (Yes, we do kinda hate ourselves for randomly throwing the word “swanky” into this article.)