Viewers ridicule Sci Fi's name change

NBC Universal’s decision to jettison the Sci Fi Channel brand was met with an outpouring of fanboy ridicule Monday, as viewers took to Twitter and message boards to register their disdain for the new Syfy label.

The Internet has been crackling with indignation since the release hit the wires at around 9 a.m. Monday morning that the 16-year-old cable network will change its name in July. Comments on Twitter have ranged from slangy incredulity (“WTF? What kind of stuff are you marketroids at Sci Fi smoking?”) to hyperbole (“Syfy makes me vomit tears”).

On AintItCoolNews, fans were merciless, with many saying the name sounded like a lot of things -- except a sci-fi-themed cable network.

"Sounds like the name of a water bottling company," wrote one.

"Sounds like some kind of mop, blender, or gossip magazine," wrote another.

And this was the most frequent negative interpretation: "Sounds like slang for syphilis," a viewer wrote, with fans agreeing "siffy" seems a more appropriate pronunciation for the network's new name than "sci fi." 

Even on Sci Fi's own boards, comments were overwhelmingly negative. "Just change the name to USA2 and be done with it already," one wrote.

Even some media got in on the action: "What the frak are they thinking?" asked Wired. "Dumbest rebranding ever," declared Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

According to the online Twendz application, which analyzes the sentiments informing active Twitter conversations, 46 percent of the tweets related to the Sci Fi rebrand were negative, while just 14 percent were supportive.

With the network's biggest buzz-magnet "Battlestar Galactica" airing its series finale this week, plenty of fans swore they'd cease watching the network after the show concludes. One Twitter user posed what could well be the $64,000 question for the channel’s brass: “Now that BSG [Battlestar Galactica] is off the air, is anyone going to watch Sci Fi/syfy?

The network was prepared for a certain amount of ribbing about the name. "Our core audience will use it an opportunity to question our motives," said network president Dave Howe on Friday, "they always do."

But it's the kind of backlash Sci Fi doesn't exactly need right now. While most basic cable networks have seen their ratings growing year over year, Sci Fi has flatlined among adults 18-49, swinging between a 0.4 and a 0.5 quarterly average for the past three years. -- By Anthony Crupi and James Hibberd

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Sci Fi changing its name, logo, tagline

 

Comments

[Jim Belfiore]

SciFi's come a long way from their earliest days (I still chuckle at their launch promo tape they gave away at science-fiction conventions in 1992 and some of the shows that didn't quite stick).

As with any niche product that seeks to prosper beyond it's core market, mainstream transformation is often an inevitable fate, and almost impossible to control with clear and concise focus. I don't see that focus here.

Still, there is something at the heart of this rebranding that reminds me of one the core values of science-fiction - the ability to re-examine and question one's self. A number of media analysts are writing that SciFi is becoming SyFy to move beyond its "geek" demographic, in search of a broader, if unknown audience.

Does that mean SyFy's new demographic be populated by gyyks?

[Wrecktum]

So the nerds, who love SciFi, hate the Syfy. Since the SciFi network hasn't been a science fiction oriented network for years (if anything, it's a competitor to Spike) I don't see what the big deal is.

A network that somehow combines BSG with Ghost Hunters, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and B-movie horror sleaze can call itself anything it wants to. Nerds gotta take a chill pill and squee about Watchmen some more.

[coalhouse]

So?

[Gib Nibbler]

I stopped watching the SciFi Channel a long time ago. Most of their original programming is really bad soft-horror and totally lame fantasy. Guess there is no hard-core Science Fiction anymore, or none they feel like airing.

I even gave up on BSG after the first season. Got real bored with the whole human-looking Cylon plot. Cylons are supposed to be gold or silver robots with a line of LEDs chasing across their face.

Hmmmmmm... Cylon... SyFy... hmmmmmm.

[Jared Lorz]

Scifi is moving more toward a Fantasy based viewership. That fat cow Bonnie Hammer hates Sci Fi so she's making it Syfy so she can eventually change it entirely to a Fantasy channel.

Hope everyone enjoys Krull the Conquerer you'll be able to watch it 800 times a day now.

[Minifig]

Maybe instead of rebooting franchises that don't need reboots, we should reboot the minds of the Sci-Fi channel's executives and remind them about what made the Sci-Fi channel so great in the first place.

[Bob Henlien]

The flat line in viewers may be due to the meager budgets the shows seem to run on. The SciFi movies are all shot on a shoe string budget and look it. NBC should have sent Fear Itself to SciFi so it could have found a receptive audiences, but canceled it instead. When you do tune into a show, you see very little of the program because of the constant commercials. I really don't know who they are marketing the shows to.
Even Tripping the Rift was much better than most of the shows on the channel now and they still haven't broadcast the third season of the show which has been in the can for over a year now. Too much Sci Fi for the target market it would seem.
Eureka is a great show, but once again the producers most cope with slim production budgets and 8 episodes seasons leave much to be desired ( like more episodes).
16 years was a good run for the most part. Rest in Peace.

[Gary]

You missed one: It sounds like a gay porn channel.

[skitzo]

This is worse than the time I took a shit in a stall next to Will Wheaton at a Star Trek convention and he started tapping his foot and whistling.

[Isaac]

I registered SyFyL.US to provide a forum to have fun making fun of SciFi, er SyFy... For the record, I will not make any money from this -- no ads, no ulterior motive... I just couldn't resist the pun... :-)

[Doctor Who Fan]

I remember being excited about the Sci Fi Channel when it first launched -- especially because they showed Doctor Who clips during the promo (and not just any Doctor Who clips; first Doctor William Hartnell) but by the time they brought the channel to my area they'd already dropped Doctor Who, and it never quite lived up to its early promise.
It's had some good shows (BSG of course most recently) but mostly seemed packed with lousy direct-to-tv movies.
They found the new Doctor Who series "somewhat lacking" until belatedly adding it to the lineup, but chopping it to bits and adding intrusive ads during the show that cover up to half of the screen (they do that kind of thing far more than any other channel I can think of).
I don't care much about their rebranding. If they have any shows worth watching in the future (which were recorded for American TV and are paced to have commercials and the standard US length so they don't get chopped up) I'll watch it regardless of the slightly silly name. If they continue to degenerate into pro wrestlingland, I'll soon forget they still exist...

[Steamboat McGoo]

Others have said it, but it bears repeating: most of their shows were really low-budget. It showed, in the acting and direction, and especially in the FX. The same cheesy FX engines generating the same pathetic 90's-level quality: they got really old fast.

[Former SciFi Licensee]

I can't believe I actually said "Oh my god" out loud when I heard about this. I had to laugh at myself and you. Then I thought about the business ramifications of this. You are gaining the "Sigh Fee" brand and losing the "Sci Fi" brand. There is now no legal barrier to stop, for example, Rupert Murdock from starting the Fox SciFi Channel with a Saturn based logo. You have given up your options instead of expanding them. You could have rebranded as the Universal Sci Fi Channel, with Saturn logo. Your name and logo are memorable. The "Fox" example would continue your brand - the brand you are giving up. Whoever counciled you to brand this way, was not doing you any favors. The NBC-Universal lawyers who OKd this travesty did not earn their money this week. There are ways to trademark supposedly generic terms. Get some experienced "in the trenches" lawyers, you greenhorn neophyte marketing "geniuses".

[Dreika]

SyFy is a lame, post modern name. SciFi sounds cool. Bad idea on the name change!

[Me, Myself and I]

Sheakespeare said that a rose by another name smells just as sweet. Problem for SyFy/Skiffy/SciFi is that a turd by any other name stinks just the same. And that's what they've become. A turd.

Come Friday evening at 11:10 or so, I am done with them.

The name change has nothing to do with it...the simple fact is that it has become a network of schlock -- unintentionally funny "horror" movies that wouldn't scare a four year old.

Either that or fantasy that's simply awful. I know I can't wait for the Tin Man series that will reboot the Wizard of Oz. Maybe they can reboot The Hobbit next?

[DoDoGuRu]

SyFy? Really? Were the people in charge of rebranding too busy working on the latest Sci-Fi Original Movie, "Mansquito 3: Life Sucks"?

[Icelander]

Bonnie Hammer came to Sci Fi from Lifetime, and has publicly admitted that she hates science fiction. Other executives have called their core viewership "nerds." Why would we expect anything less than this from these people.

But the good thing is that this leaves an open niche that can be filled by another network. One directed by people who actually like science fiction.

[Former SciFi Licensee]

I just Googled "SciFi Channel". Guess what came up? It was www.scifi.com, the SciFi Channel web site. There was no confusion, no need to rebrand because of search engines.

What was the real reason for the rebranding?... a new executive's need to make his mark, marketing execs looking to justify their jobs, attorneys lacking conviction who are afraid to fight or fail, foreign Universal execs who do not understand the US connotations of the word "SciFi"? We will never know. It's Chinatown, Jake.

[JJ]

hmm Well i'll just buy eureka on DVD and skip this "new" imagination. They wasted a lot of ad dollars on this stinker idea..

[James at 16]

This is such a stupid idea. I get a knot in my stomach when I see things mispelled.
"Your my best friend" and "It's you're way or no way" just makes me want to throw up. Syfy makes me feel the same way, and I won't watch a channel that makes my stomach churn. Besides, the only thing I think of when I see it is Sypho water.
Cable TV executives are so concerned with bringing in more and more viewers by becoming generic that they don't notice that they are losing the viewers who actually patronize their sponsors. Look at TVLand. When was the last time they aired a program that was made before 1990 (except for Andy Griffith which they air 12 times a day)? When was the last time A&E showed anything artistic or entertaining? When was the last time Bravo showed a highbrow program? How many music videos did you see last week on MTV? Turner got it right by showing comedies on TBS and drama on TNT. But nobody else can see the genius of doing that. Shame on NBC Universal!

[Who Needs Them?]

Cable television is a concept that will rapidly become obsolete.

After all, you can torrent most anything you want now as it is.

Hulu and the rest will finish the job.

SciFi, SyFy, doesn't matter. It'll be dead soon.

[Former Ohio Resident in Canuckia]

for the first time the Canadian name of the channel (Space) is now cooler (and makes more sense)!

[Sci-Fi Guy]

I suspect that this is only the first phase of a complete format change into something more generic like Spike. SyFy is just a temporary transition to help ease the blow.

In a few months the name will change again to Zap or KaPow or Bam or Zowie or Ka-Cha and that will be the end of any connection to the channel's roots.

Remember that Spike started out as a country music channel.

After BSG ends its run, Science Fiction fans should take a moment now to mourn the channel's passing and start looking elsewhere for their fix. I recommend books.

[macca]

i don't understand this cable TV re-branding stuff. Every single original niche cable station, such as Bravo, A&E ... many others ....and now Sci-fi are becoming clones of one another, dropping the programing that brought viewers to their networks. Even Animal Planet is changing programming to be like all the others.

There are over 400 stations on some expanded cable and satellite providers plans, and yet many nights there's nothing original on any of them, and nothing worth wasting time watching.

The same thing happens in retail... anyone else remember when Banana Republic was cutting edge cool? Today it's a generic clothing shop like all others. Only the empty of meaning name remains.

[HeartBurnKid]

"A network that somehow combines BSG with Ghost Hunters, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and B-movie horror sleaze can call itself anything it wants to. Nerds gotta take a chill pill and squee about Watchmen some more."

Hey, don't ever refer to that mess as Extreme Championship Wrestling. Extreme Championship Wrestling was the awesome wrestling fed that made wrestling grow up back in the '90s, not that boring piece of crap on the Syphilis Channel.

/seriously, if Christian Cage wasn't on that show, I'd have no reason to watch at all.

[Yepper]

The only time I even consider watching the Sci Fi channel is for Anime Monday and even than it depends on whats running.

[Joe Bua]

But ... what do you "really" think?

[Mark Brantner]

I have to agree with Isaac.
It sounds like a Medical Network devoted to STDs.
"Syphi(lis)" is what my mind immediately read the new brand as.

~Byrd

[Stuart C. Hellinger]

Bonnie Hammer, who should not be in charge of any cable network, has an amazing didain for her audience and has wanted to destroy this channel ever since she was in charge at SciFi. In fact, she freely admitted that she hated the name, concept and programming.

What's even worse, their release antagonizes and alienates a core portion of their audience, which shows that they do not respect anything or anyone who would be remotely interested in the network's programming.

The quote in the original release from the guy who used to be at USA Networks is insulting. On top of that, he only became involved after the creators of the SciFi Channel hooked up with USA Networks to get clearances from the cable companies.

From what I have been told NBC Uni has been overloaded with complaints, especially to the venereal disease similarity to the new name.

The channel will soon be a more general interest channel, with no science fiction, fantasy, or horror content and will fail horribly. Maybe then NBC Uni will wise up and replace Ms. Hammer and get a head of the network who can build the channel on the basis of what the network should and can be.

[A. Grilz]

The five most horrible words in science fiction are "An Original Sci-Fi Channel Movie". The network has been low rent and disdainful of its core audience for far too long. I can remember when the mandate was handed down that ALL programing had to be episodic, including their big hit show at the time : Mystery Science Theater 3000. The need to create a continuous plot to a show that did nothing but spoof bad movies was absurd in its conception and pathetic in execution. Contempt for your viewers will always lead to lower ratings and eventual network death. UPN (dead), BET (barely alive and so much less than promised), so on and so on. I won't miss them.

[Joe Vanoureny]

This just in...

NBC/Universal Entertainment has just announced that they are rebranding the USA Network on August 9,2009. The channel will now be named "Yew-Hess-Hay Network."

"We can't own the name USA--it's a country," said Bonnie Hammer, President of NBC/Universal Cable Entertainment. "But we CAN own the name Yew Hess Hay."

[T]

Without SG1/Atlantis, I don't really care about Sci Fi. But this is a dick move. They've insulted their core audience by calling them dysfunctional basement dwellers (and, really, we nerds get enough of that BS) and essentially said "You're not good enough" despite the fact that the nerd market tends to be filled with the intensely loyal with disposable income

[BT]

If they really cared about saving the channel they would move it toward G4 TV. That would pick up the gamers and the young demo (with disposable $$$) they want. Or maybe even some light Science/Discovery/Comedy Channel robot wars / gosh-wow-techno stuff. But no, they go with Wrestling (imported from NBC/USA), and Ghost Hunters / John Edwards (which definitely counts as fantasy!). Which just tell me they want it dead, or don't care if it lives. I can just about excuse the pp Original Movies as "no budget" training grounds. But when your SyFy flagship is going to be Wrestling Night, you know they just stopped trying.

[Jaysin420]

They can call this channel whatever they want as long as they keep playing old Lost episodes.

[doorQ.com]

I think the "Male 18-49" flatline might be part of the name change. SciFi... ugh "SyFy".. has made a ton of money off of their product, and has fairly successfully pulled in the core male demo.

They've also gotten more than they expected female demo numbers. I have to wonder if this move is to increase that audience, expanding their ratings, and make even more money.

"Show quality" and "making money" aren't synonymous, unfortunately...

[Kevino]

Honestly, it's the most foolish thing I have heard of. Obviously they don't want me to watch, not that I do, but I wouldn't give the channel a pause now as I flip past it.

Did children make the new name up? Also, where can I get hired to "remake" companies crap? Like how Pepsi "updated" their logo. I bet this channel spent $$$$ to get the trash they ended up with.

It's quite idiotic and lazy to change the name. But then again, AIG always had great ideas, it's not as if NBC is any different. We have all seen what they try to pass off on us, and we watch cable\satellite instead. And, they will be just as surprised when they tank and fail.

[Michael Jones]

"In the new Windows 7, we have completely eliminated the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. Now it's yellow!"

Typical corporate mindset to fix something trivial instead of addressing any real problems they may have with their output. Call it "rebranding" and you have suitspeak for progress.

[Foo Bar]

In related news, NBC's parent company will become Gynyryl Ylyctryc. Company managers are confident the rebranding will distance themselves from all the stupid banks that wrecked the economy.

[Barney Burgis]

NBC Universal's cunning plan: Cancel Farscape, check. Cancel SG1, check. Let BSG end with no replacement, check. Start broadcasting wrestling, check. Rebrand to Sify, check.
Mission accomplished, total Fail.

[John J. Joex]

Sci Fi's name change to SyFy is just an excuse to run less quality science fiction oriented programming like BSG, Eureka, and Farscape in place of more Wrestling, Reality Shows, and Troy McClure wannabes like Bats: Human Harvest