Syfy

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the American sci-fi TV channel. For channels elsewhere, see List of Syfy TV channels. For the genre, see Science fiction.

Syfy
History
FoundedSeptember 24, 1992; 32 years ago (1992-09-24)
LaunchedSeptember 24, 1992; 32 years ago (1992-09-24)
FounderMitchell Rubenstein
Laurie Silvers
Former names
  • Sci-Fi Channel (1992–99)
  • Sci Fi (1999–2009)
Links
WebcastWatch live (U.S. pay-TV subscribers only)
Websitewww.syfy.com
Availability
Streaming media
Streaming ServicesfuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream
ClaroTV+
(requires subscription to access content)
  • ch. 105

Syfy (a

basic cable television channel, owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division and business segment of Comcast's NBCUniversal.[1] Launched on September 24, 1992, the channel broadcasts programming relating to the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres. As of November 2023, Syfy is available in approximately 69,000,000 pay television households in the United States, down from its 2011 peak of 99,000,000 households.[2]

History

In 1989 in

The Prisoner
.

In 1992, Rubenstein and Silvers sold the channel to

USA Networks, then a joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures.[3][4] Rubenstein and Silvers became vice-chairs of USA Networks. The channel was seen as a natural fit with the classic films and television series that both studios had in their vaults, including Universal's Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Rod Serling TV series Night Gallery, along with Paramount's Star Trek
television series.

Star Trek's creator

Hayden Planetarium in Manhattan. Asimov's widow Janet and Roddenberry's widow Majel Barrett were both in attendance.[6] The first program aired on the network was the film Star Wars.[7]

In 1994 Paramount was sold to

Studios USA. Three years later, Diller would sell Studios USA back to Universal, by then a subsidiary of Vivendi SA (at the time known as Vivendi Universal). Vivendi's film and television production and cable television assets were then merged with General Electric's NBC to form NBC Universal in 2004. In 2009 the network was rebranded as Syfy, and in 2010 Comcast purchased Syfy's parent company NBCUniversal.[citation needed
] Comcast was one of the original cable TV operators to carry the channel.

A high-definition version of the channel launched on October 3, 2007, on DirecTV.[9]

In 2013 Syfy was given the James Randi Educational Foundation's Pigasus Award for what was described as questionable reality programming involving paranormal subjects.[10]

Branding history

Sci Fi logo, 2002–2009

From 1992 to 1999, the network's first logo consisted of a planet with a ring, made to look like

Taken. The network also launched a new image campaign with the tagline "If", which expresses the limitless possibilities of the imagination. Identification bumps depicted surreal situations such as a baby breathing fire, as well as a woman in a stately sitting room kissing a bug-eyed, big-eared animal.[12][13]

Sci-Fi's logo rebranded now to Syfy after [[Starz]]'s logo in 2008.
Syfy logo, 2009–2017

On March 16, 2009, NBCUniversal announced that Sci Fi was rebranding as "Syfy". Network officials also noted that, unlike the generic term "sci fi", which represents the entire genre, the term "Syfy" as a sensational spelling 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 an unnamed company in February 2009.[14]

The name change was greeted with initial negativity,[15][16] with people deliberately mispronouncing "Syfy" as /ˈsɪfi/ SIF-ee or /ˈsiːfi/ SEE-fee to make fun of the name change. The parody news anchor Stephen Colbert made fun of the name change on The Colbert Report 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'".[17][non-primary source needed] The new name took effect on July 7, 2009.[18] Syfy has since added reality shows and edged further from strictly science fiction, fantasy and horror programming.[19][20][21]

The rebranding efforts at NBC Universal's

CBS Studios International and Sony Pictures Television; after the channel shut down in 2013, NBCUniversal launched a local version of Syfy in 2014.[23][24]

On May 11, 2017, in honor of the network's upcoming 25th anniversary, Syfy unveiled a major rebranding that took effect on-air June 19. The new branding was intended to re-position the channel back towards targeting fans of the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Network head Chris McCumber explained that the network's goal was to "put fans at the center of everything we do", and explained a stacked, square-shaped form of the logo as being akin to a "badge". Syfy also planned to place a larger focus on its genre news division Syfy Wire, disclosing the possibility of extending the website to television as well.[25][26][27]

Programming

Main article: List of programs broadcast by Syfy

Syfy's original programming includes

NXT, and SmackDown).[30][31]

Syfy has been used for overflow sports and sports entertainment programming from its sister networks. It has participated in

broadcasts of the 2022 Winter Olympics;[33] this was repeated during the 2024 Summer Olympics.[34]

Animation

During its early years, Syfy aired

Chiller.[37] Syfy's anime block was later moved to Thursday nights, starting March 14, 2011, where it remained until all anime programming was dropped on June 9, 2011.[38][39]

On April 20, 2019, Syfy launched a new late night adult animation block called TZGZ which aired until March 13, 2021.[citation needed]

Syfy original films

Main article: List of Sci Fi Pictures original films
See also: Category:Syfy original films

Sci Fi Pictures original films are independently-made

B-movies with production budgets of $1 million to $2 million each. The initiative was spearheaded by Thomas Vitale in 2001, and was managed by Vitale, Chris Regina, and Ray Cannella, with the later additions of Karen O'Hara and Macy Lao.[40] Syfy is also one of the sponsors for the Coalition for Freedom of Information.[41]

Media

Websites and divisions

Syfy.com

Syfy's website launched in 1995, under the name The Dominion (though using scifi.com in its URL); it changed to SciFi.com in 2000.[

Webby Award
and a Flash Forward Award.

From 2000 to 2005, SciFi.com published original science fiction

Science Fiction Writers of America's Nebula Awards, including the first for original online fiction (for Linda Nagata's novella "Goddesses").[42][43]

On April 22, 2006, the site launched Sci Fi Pedia, a commercial

UFOs, genre-related art and audio, and the paranormal.[44]
In 2009, Sci Fi Pedia was shut down without explanation.

As part of the channel's rebranding in 2009, the URL – and the site's name – was changed to Syfy.com. As of 2010, Syfy.com began to contain webisode series including Riese: Kingdom Falling (as of October 26, 2010),[citation needed] The Mercury Men (as of July 25, 2011),[citation needed] and Nuclear Family[45] (as of October 15, 2012).

SyfyGames

SyfyGames.com is an online games portal which offers free-to-play MMO and casual games. The site features predominantly sci-fi and fantasy games from third-party developers.[46] In April 2015, the News section of SyfyGames.com was rebranded to feature "news from G4".[citation needed]

In 2010, Syfy Games signed a deal with the now defunct publisher THQ to co-produce De Blob 2. Syfy Games would also co-produce Red Faction: Armageddon.

Syfy Wire

Syfy Wire (formerly Sci-Fi Wire and Blastr) is a website operated by Syfy featuring coverage of news in the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres.[25] The site was rebranded in 2010 as Blastr, with the addition of feature articles, guest columnists (such as Phil Plait), popular science news and coverage, and video content.[47] In December 2016, Blastr rebranded as Syfy Wire; editor-in-chief Adam Swiderski stated that this change was to closer associate the website with the Syfy television channel.[48]

As of March 2018, Syfy Wire releases five regular podcasts,

Leland Chee[50] and Mike Daniels of the Green Bay Packers.[51]

Periodicals

Sci Fi magazine

Sci Fi magazine was first published in June 1994, as Sci-Fi Entertainment, with the additional description "The Official Magazine of the Sci-Fi Channel" on the cover.[52] The publisher from Volume 1, Issue 1, was Mark Hintz, with Carl A. Gnam Jr. as editorial director and Ted Klein as editor.[53][54] Scott Edelman took over as editor with the December 1996 issue, holding that position until leaving after the June 2000 issue, by which point the magazine's name had already been shortened to Sci Fi, in keeping with the channel's name change to Sci Fi in 1999; Scott Edelman returned to be editor of the channel's online magazine, Science Fiction Weekly, moving back to editor of Sci Fi in February 2002.[55] The magazine was published by Sovereign Media Co, based in Herndon, Virginia.[55][56] As of October 2023, the magazine is still described at the Sovereign Media website, but the link to the publication is no longer active there, and no link is available at the Syfy.com site;[56] the last functioning archived link from the Syfy.com page is for the issue available in October 2014.[57]

Science Fiction Weekly

Science Fiction Weekly was an online magazine started on August 15, 1995, and edited by Craig Engler and Brooks Peck.[citation needed] 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.[58] 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.[citation needed]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ See § Branding history

References

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