Former Hallmark Channel head Bill Abbott is renaming his constellation of family-oriented brands, with flagship GAC Family becoming Great American Family next month.
Abbott, CEO of GAC Media, also said cable channel GAC Living will become Great American Living. The company also has the free ad-supported streaming TV channel known as Great American Adventures and the upcoming direct-to-consumer app Great American Community.
The four outlets will be part of GAC Media’s new Great American Media master brand. GAC Media will remain the company’s legal name.
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Abbott launched GAC Media by buying the cable channels Great American Country — known as GAC — and Ride TV last year. He rebranded them as GAC Family and GAC Living, respectively and, following the playbook, programmed GAC Family with wholesome series and Christmas-holiday themed original movies, many starring actors familiar to Hallmark Channel viewers.
“As the company expands across different media verticals, renaming our linear networks Great American Family and Great American Living better reflects our vision for each brand and firmly aligns the company under our new Great American Media umbrella,” Abbott said. “Fans can expect more of the same quality, family-friendly programming they have come to love from our channels, and we look forward to rolling out the new names this summer in time for the return of our original movie premieres.”
The name change will take place on August 20, the same day as the start of a new season of movie premieres. The network’s big Great American Christmas programming event begins October 28.
GAC Media said it plans to promote the name change across all platforms and media in coordination with its business and distribution partners. ■
