ABC Family


McG signs with new-look ABC Family

Prolific network and cable producer McG has signed a two-year overall development deal with ABC Family, ABC Studios and cable production division ABC Signature. The deal comes ahead of ABC Family renaming as Freeform in January 2016 as a play to better attract millennial audiences. McG’s Wonderland Sound & Vision will develop and direct scripted […]

ABC Family rebranding as Freeform

Disney’s US cable channel ABC Family is rebranding as Freeform. The new moniker will come into force in January 2016, as The Walt Disney Company attempts to appeal to what it calls the ‘becomer’ generation – 14-34s. Freeform’s programming will remain the same, with shows such as Pretty Little Liars, The Fosters and Baby Daddy […]

ABC Family hires NBC exec for scripted push

The latest step in ABC Family’s bid to double its original programming output is to hire an NBC comedy development executive. Simran S. Sethi will join the Disney-ABC Television Group-owned US cable channel as senior VP, original programming and development. She will manage ABC’s scripted team, work on “brand-appropriate” development ideas and oversee pilots. At […]

ABC Family drama apes Amanda Knox story

Disney-ABC Television Group-owned ABC Family has greenlit pilot production of a drama clearly based on the recent case of American murder suspect Amanda Knox. Guilt will be a one-hour soap billed as a “sophisticated, sexy and suspenseful crime epic” in which a female American student in London becomes the prime suspect in the savage murder […]

Mystery thriller eyes Stay on ABC Family

US cable channel ABC Family has greenlit the pilot of thriller about a widowed police officer stranded at a mysterious hotel. Stay makes up part of ABC Family’s plan to double its original programming over the next four years, and joins previously-announced drama pilots Gorgeous Morons and Beyond on the slate. Stay is billed as […]

ABC Family orders supernatural Tim Kring pilot

Heroes creator Tim Kring is exec producing Beyond, a one-hour drama pilot for ABC Family. The show was created by Adam Nussdorf (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) and follows a man who wakes up from a 12-year coma to discover he has supernatural abilities that propel him into the middle of a conspiracy. It […]

Development chief Juergens exiting ABC Family

Kate Juergens, who is credited with leading ABC Family’s programming expansion of recent years, is exiting the Disney/ABC Television Group-owned cable channel. She will leave her post as chief creative officer and executive VP of Juergens after a decade at the network. In that time she has overseen development, production and launch of successful shows […]

Disney/ABC chief Sweeney to exit post

Disney/ABC Television Group president and Disney Media Networks co-chair Anne Sweeney is to leave the company to become a TV director. Sweeney, who joined Disney in 1996, will step down in January 2015. The Disney/ABC Television Group includes broadcast channel ABC, cable net ABC Family, kids channel Disney Channel, the Disney Channels Worldwide business and […]

Disney, Dish settle legal issues with ‘evolutionary’ deal

The Walt Disney Company and US satcaster Dish Network have ended their long-running legal dispute and agreed on a deal new, wide-ranging carriage deal. As part of the deal, Dish has agreed to disable its controversial ad-hopping service AutoHop during ABC shows in primetime, with Disney in return dropping all legal issues. The US broadcasters […]

Warner Bros. seals ER, Gossip Girl, Liars format deals

US drama series ER, Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars will be remade in Asia after Warner Bros. cut format deals with partners in the region. A Filipino version of teen mystery drama Pretty Little Liars is in production with ABC Development Corporation making the 22-episode series for the TV5 channel. The US original is […]

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