Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi and then Sci-Fi Channel), is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast and General Electric. The name Syfy was officially adopted on July 7, 2009.

History[link]

The Sci-Fi Channel was devised in 1991 by Mitchell Rubenstein and Laurie Silvers, two entrepreneurs from Boca Raton, Florida, who currently own HomeTown Cable in Miami-South Florida.^[1] In March 1992 the concept was picked up by USA Networks, then a joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios.^[2][3] The channel was seen as a natural fit with classic film and television series that both studios had in their vaults, including Rod Serling's Night Gallery (from Universal TV) and Paramount's Star Trek and classic Universal horror films such as Dracula and Frankenstein. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and author Isaac Asimov were among those on the advisory board.^[4]

In 1994, Paramount was sold to Viacom, followed by Seagram's purchase of a controlling stake in MCA (of which Universal was a subsidiary) from Matsushita the next year.^[5] In 1997, Viacom sold its stake in USA Networks to Universal, who spun off all its television assets to Barry Diller the next year. Three years later, Diller would sell these assets back to Universal, by then a subsidiary of Vivendi SA (at the time known as Vivendi Universal). Vivendi's film, television, and cable TV assets were then merged with General Electric's NBC to form NBC Universal in 2004. A high definition version of the channel launched on October 3, 2007 on DirecTV.^[6]

Rebranding[link]

On March 16, 2009, Sci-Fi proclaimed that it would be altering its name to "Syfy," to end confusion over how to capitalize and stylize their name and as part of an on-going rebranding effort. Network officials also noted that, unlike the generic term "sci fi", which represents the entire science fiction genre, the term "Syfy" can be protected by trademark and therefore would be easier to market on other goods or services without fear of confusion with other companies' products. The only significant previous use of the term "Syfy" in relation to science fiction was by the website SyFy Portal, which became Airlock Alpha after selling the brand to NBC Universal (represented by a shell company) in February for $250,000.^[7]

Reaction to the new name was largely negative at first, with people often pronouncing Syfy as "Siffy", "Skiffy", or "Si Fi" to make fun of the name change.^[8][9] The parody news anchor Stephen Colbert made fun of the name change by giving the channel a "Tip of the Hat" for "spelling the name the way it's pronounced" and noting that "the tide is turning in my long fought battle against the insidious 'soft C'".^[10] The new name took effect on July 7, 2009.^[11] Syfy is in the process of making more reality shows and edging farther away from science fiction programming, and has been making a conscious effort to do this since the 1990s, also to significant negative response.^[12][13][14]

The rebranding efforts at NBC Universal's Sci Fi Channels worldwide resulted in most rebranding as Syfy or Syfy Universal, however, over one-third of the channels did not take on "Syfy" as any part of their names: Australia's remained the Sci Fi Channel, channels in Japan and the Philippines rebranded to or were replaced by Universal Channel, while each of the channels in Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia would become Sci Fi Universal. Syfy, in several languages, does not suggest imagination or science fiction so much as the syphilitic.^[15]

Programming[link]

Syfy's programming includes original television movies, miniseries, and series. In the past, the channel concentrated on classic science fiction (SciFi) shows. However NBC has altered its schedule in the past few years to expand the lineup, and the channel now airs shows including WWE's Smackdown, changing from the original niche programming to offerings towards more general-entertainment.^[16]

It gained national prominence^{[citation needed]} in 2003 with the airing of Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken, which won the Emmy Award that year for best miniseries.^[17] In 2006, it also began including several non-science-fiction programs in its line-up, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, ECW (changed to WWE NXT in 2010)^[18] and WCG Ultimate Gamer.^[19]

Syfy has aired anime programming off and on throughout its history. It first began airing English dubbed anime films and original video animations in the early 1990s, although the programs were often edited in order to fit the market pressures typically placed on basic cable.^{[citation needed]} It was the first to show the Streamline Pictures English dubs of the films Robot Carnival, Lensman, and Akira, as well as airing Central Park Media's Dominion: Tank Police, Gall Force, and Project A-ko.^{[citation needed]} Eventually the channel stopped airing anime, until June 11, 2007, when it began airing a weekly 2-hour programming block called "Ani-Monday".^[20] Intended to directly compete with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, the block features English dubs of various anime series licensed by Manga Entertainment.^[20] During February 2008, the channel also aired anime on Tuesday nights in a second programming block.^[21] In July 2009, Syfy announced that they had renewed and expanded their licensing agreement with Manga Entertainment to continue the "Ani-Monday" block, as well as to add a similar two-hour block of horror anime, also called "Ani-Monday", to their sister channel Chiller.^[22]

On April 13, 2010, World Wrestling Entertainment announced that they had signed a multi-year agreement that would move WWE SmackDown from MyNetworkTV to Syfy, starting on October 1, 2010 at 8:00 P.M. Eastern/7:00 P.M. Central. The WWE says that the addition of WWE SmackDown to Syfy programming will assist with their targeting of young male and female audiences.^[23]

Syfy gained worldwide attention with its original series Battlestar Galactica. The show gained many different opinions of praise from popular news organizations like The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, to influential people like Stephen King. The show was so widely accepted that the United Nations invited the main cast to a retrospective and discussion. Battlestar Galactica was aired from 2003–2009, with a mini-series followed by four seasons comprising 75 episodes.

Syfy original films[link]

Spearheaded and originally launched by Thomas Vitale in 2001, and managed by Vitale, Chris Regina, Ray Cannella, with the later additions of Karen O'Hara and Macy Lao, Sci Fi Pictures original films are typically independently-made B-movies with production budgets of $1 to 2 million each. They usually premiere on Saturday nights.^[24] They are also one of the sponsors for the Coalition for Freedom of Information.^[25] The movies have become one of the longest-lasting parts of Syfy's schedule. One of the most memorable campaigns for the movies presented these films as part of "The Most Dangerous Night of Television" (Saturdays). Over the years, Syfy's promotion of the movies leans into the escapist fun promised by them, with titles such as Sharktopus, Mansquito, Ogre, Ice Twisters and Star Runners. Since 2001, Syfy has worked with a number of different production companies (most of them indie) to make over 200 original movies of this type.

Movie Library/Movie Rights[link]

The network has rights to rerun and air many movies. An example is the Brothers Grimm.

Throughout the weekend, the network typically airs rerun movies all day.

Upcoming series/pilots[link]

• America's Smartest Kids: Reality television series which pits America's smartest kids against each other to "invent a better future".^[26]
• Change the Day You Die: Reality television series which follows a group of individuals as they are shown how their bad habits will cause their deaths in the future, and follows the journey they must go through to change those bad habits.^[26]
• Culture Shock With Tommy Lee: Reality television series which follows Tommy Lee as he investigates various secret societies around the world.^[26]
• Defiance: A Science Fiction series set in the near future on Earth following an alien invasion.
• Dinner With Deepak: Reality television series which follows Dr Deepak Chopra as he dines each week with three high profile dinner guests.^[26]
• Hi Tech Hoaxes: Reality television series which follows a group of hoaxers and pranksters who each week perform hoaxes on unsuspecting people based on requests from viewers.^[26]
• In the Dark: The series follows the adventures of an amateur ghost hunting team who continually find their efforts frustrated by their own incompetence.^[26]
• Me and Lee: A down on his luck twenty year old goes into hospital for back surgery, only to meet Lee Major. It doesn't take too long before he is being talked into going back to Lee's lab and becoming a bionic man.^[26]
• Monster Man: Reality television series which follows Cleve Hall and his family business of making monster and alien props for Hollywood.^[26]
• Overthunk: Reality television series which follows two teams as they compete against each other to design, build and set off "massive chain-reaction machines".^[26]
• Stunts Unlimited: Reality television series which takes the viewers behind the scenes and reveals exactly what goes into creating big stunts for Hollywood.^[26]
• Three and a half Inches: After being struck by lightning Walter Spackman discovers he has developed a super power; the ability to move an object with his mind, but only over a distance of three inches.^[26]
• Tyler Shields: Reality television series which documents the work life of unconventional photographer Tyler Shields.^[26]

Media[link]

Website[link]

The channel's website launched in 1995 under the name "The Dominion" at SciFi.com. In 2000, it dropped the name "The Dominion".^{[citation needed]} It was one of the first large-scale, publicly available, well-advertised, and non-portal based Web sites.^{[citation needed]} In addition to information on the channel's programming, it covers science fiction in general. The site has won a Webby Award and a Flash Forward Award. From 2000–2005, it published original science fiction short stories in a section called "Sci Fiction", edited by Ellen Datlow, who won a 2005 Hugo Award for her work there. The stories themselves won a World Fantasy Award; the first Theodore Sturgeon Award for online fiction (for Lucius Shepard's novella "Over Yonder"), and four of the Science Fiction Writers of America's Nebula Awards, including the first for original online fiction (for Linda Nagata's novella "Goddesses"). As part of the channel's rebranding in 2009, the URL was changed to Syfy.com.

On April 22, 2006, the site launched Sci Fi Pedia as a commercial wiki on topics including anime, comics, science fiction, fantasy, horror, fandom, games and toys, UFOs, genre-related art and audio, and the paranormal.^[27] In 2009, Sci Fi Pedia was shut down without explanation.

[edit] Science Fiction Weekly

Science Fiction Weekly was an online magazine started and edited by Craig Engler and Brooks Peck on August 15, 1995. In April 1996 it began appearing exclusively on "The Dominion" as part of a partnership with the site, before being sold to the Sci Fi Channel completely in 1999.^[28] The publication covered various aspects of science fiction, including news, reviews, original art, and interviews, until it merged with Sci Fi Wire in January 2009. It was last edited by Scott Edelman.

[edit] Sci Fi Magazine

Sci Fi Magazine is the channel's official magazine. As of 2005^[update], it is edited by Scott Edelman.

Blastr[link]

Blastr^[29] (formerly Sci Fi Wire), an adjunct of the Syfy website, is the daily news wire edited by Scott Edelman. It covers news related to science fiction, fantasy and supernatural-themed entertainment, including films, television, games, books, fandom and rumors. Blastr is frequently cited as a source of breaking news by other Web sites and by publications as varied as the New York Post and TV Guide.

Ratings[link]

In 2008, Syfy, then the Sci Fi Channel, averaged a 1.0 Household rating; 242,000 Adults 18–34 (up 4% vs 2007); 616,000 Adults 18–49 (up 5% vs 2007); 695,000 Adults 25–54 (up 6% vs 2007) and 1,278,000 total viewers (up 7% vs 2007). It saw two years of consecutive growth among female audiences, with a 12% increase among women 25–54, a 14% jump in women 18–49 and 6% in women 18–34. The channel also was ranked among the top ten watched channels for male viewers ages 18–54, and women ages 25–54 (#10).^[30]

For 2010, Syfy averaged 1.199 million viewers, down 6% from 2009. In Adults 18–49 the channel averaged .539 million viewers, down 11% from 2009. For 2010 Syfy did not hold any of the Top 20 Primetime Original Series.^[31]

See Also[link]

• Space
• Syfy Universal

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Syfy at the Internet Movie Database
• Sci Fi charts its course for the future, Los Angeles Times – Interview with Dave Howe

v t e NBCUniversal LLC A joint venture of Comcast (51%) and General Electric (49%) Company Officials Board of Directors Stephen B. Burke (CEO) · Brian Roberts · Michael Angelakis · Jeffrey Immelt · Keith Sherin Senior Corporate Executives Stephen B. Burke (CEO) · Matt Bond · Lynn Calpeter (CFO) · Steve Capus · Richard Cotton · Dick Ebersol · Patricia Fili-Krushel · Robert Greenblatt · Bonnie Hammer · Ted Harbert · Mark Hoffman · Paula Madison · Ron Meyer · Adam Miller · Jeff Shell · Page Thompson · Lauren Zalaznick Universal Studios Focus Features · Geneon Universal (80.1%)[nu 1] · Illumination Entertainment • United International Pictures[nu 2] · Universal Animation Studios · Universal Pictures · PlayBack · Universal Studios Home Entertainment · Working Title Films Universal Parks & Resorts Universal Studios Dubailand · Universal Studios Hollywood · Universal Orlando Resort (Universal Studios Florida · Islands of Adventure · Universal CityWalk) · Universal Studios Japan · Universal Studios Singapore · Universal Studios South Korea Broadcast TV assets NBC · NBC News · NBC Sports · Telemundo NBCUniversal Cable A+E Networks (15%) · Bravo · Chiller · Cloo · CNBC · E! · G4 (88%) · MSNBC · Mun2 · Oxygen · PBS Kids Sprout (part owner)  · ShopNBC (30%) · Style Network  · Syfy · Telemundo Puerto Rico · Universal HD · USA Network · The Weather Channel[nu 3] · Weatherscan[nu 3] NBC Sports Group Golf Channel · NBC Sports Network · Universal Sports (part owner)[nu 4] · Alli Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (45%)  · California  · Chicago (20%)  · Houston  · Mid-Atlantic  · New England  · Northwest  · Philadelphia  · SNY (8%)  · The Mtn. (50%) · CSS (50%) · Comcast Sports Southwest  · New England Cable News  · Comcast Network CNBC CNBC global channels CNBC · CNBC Africa · CNBC Asia · CNBC Europe · CNBC Latin America · CNBC World CNBC Europe branches Class CNBC (20%) · CNBC Africa · CNBC Arabiya (according to CNBC Europe) · CNBC-e · CNBC Nordic · TVN CNBC CNBC Asia branches CNBC-TV18 · CNBC Australia · CNBC Awaaz · CNBC Hong Kong · CNBC Pakistan · CNBC Singapore · Nikkei CNBC · SBS-CNBC Universal Networks International 13th Street Universal · Diva Universal · KidsCo[nu 5] · Movies 24 · Steel[nu 6] · Studio Universal · Syfy · Universal Channel Syfy global channels Asia · Australia · Benelux · France · Germany · Japan · Latin America · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · Serbia · Slovenia · Spain · UK · US NBCUniversal Television Group NBC Studios · NBCUniversal Television Distribution · Telemundo of Puerto Rico Studios · Telemundo Television Studios · Universal Television NBC O&Os California Nonstop · KNBC · KNSD[nu 7] · KNTV · KXAS[nu 7] (DFW Nonstop) · WCAU (NBC Philadelphia Nonstop)  · WMAQ (Chicago Nonstop) · WNBC (New York Nonstop) · WRC (Washington Nonstop) · WTVJ · WVIT Telemundo O&Os KBLR · KDEN · KEJT-LP · KHRR · KNSO[nu 8] · KSTS · KTAZ · KTMD · KVDA[nu 8] · KVEA · KXTX · WKAQ · WNEU[nu 8] · WNJU · WSCV · WSNS ShopNBC O&Os WWDP Internet ventures: Hulu[nu 9] · iVillage · msnbc.com[nu 10] · Television Without Pity · DailyCandy · Fandango Other assets: EMKA, Ltd. · qubo[nu 11] · WSI Corporation[nu 3]  · International Media Distribution Defunct properties: NBC Weather Plus (2004–2008) · Trio (1997–2005) · Diva TV (2007−2012) · Hallmark Channel International (1997−2011) · Discovery Kids (1996-2010) · Discovery Kids on NBC (2002-2006) · DreamWorks Records (1996-2005) · Go Fish Pictures (2000-2007) See also: Vivendi (former NBCUniversal stockholder and current parent company of Universal Music Group) · Comcast (telecommunications company that holds 51%) · General Electric (conglomerate that holds 49%) · MCA Inc. (legal predecessors of NBCUniversal) ^ Co-owned with Dentsu. ^ 50%, with Viacom's Paramount Pictures. ^ a b c Co-owned with Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. ^ minority share, InterMedia Partners is the majority owner. ^ Co-owned with Corus Entertainment and Cookie Jar Group. ^ Co-owned with Mediaset. ^ a b The stations are co-owned with LIN TV in a joint venture (76% owned by NBC, 24% owned by LIN). ^ a b c The stations are owned by NBCUniversal, but are controlled by ZGS Broadcast Holdings. ^ Co-owned with News Corporation and The Walt Disney Company. ^ Co-owned with Microsoft in a joint venture (50% owned by NBC, 50% owned by Microsoft). ^ Co-owned with Corus Entertainment, Classic Media, Nelvana, Scholastic Books and ION Media Networks.