Sci-Fi's Metamorphosis

Did you know that the Sci-Fi Channel has changed it's name to SyFy, believing that this will encourage viewers who won't watch anything labeled sci-fi to tune in?

Well, it's news to me!

This move has been partly explained as a desire to have a unique brand name. The people behind the change claim that SyFy will give them more flexibility in programming. I'm curious to see how, unless they're planning on diluting the channel's content with other genres, and why that would be considered a good move. One of the main points of having (and watching) a specialty channel is because it has a specialty. I'd wager most people don't watch TSN for reasons not involving sporting events and news, or watch Discovery because they're really in the mood for some fiction (unless you'd put Criss Angel Mindfreak in that category, in which case you're in luck). I'd like to see whatever test marketing they've done involving people who don't like sci-fi and how the name change affects their media consumption. The most interesting thing here is that ratings and demographics are not an issue - the Sci-Fi Channel is going strong across the globe, with a balanced gender demographic to boot.

I can understand the temptation to move the channel from a (wildly popular) specialty product to a mass-market product that the jocks, geeks, goths, preps, and your mom who watches American Idol can all agree on. After all, we've seen it happen recently and with great success in the film industry: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and Star Trek have been embraced by people who wouldn't be caught dead reading a comic or watching an episode. However, we've also seen the same intent produce quite the opposite result; see: The Incredible Hulk. No, wait, don't. Please. For your own sake.

Then, there have been a handful of recent films not trying to cater outside their target markets, which have been good and returned a decent box office but haven't become mass-consciousness phenomenons, i.e. Hellboy. I'm guessing that's kind of where the Sci-Fi channel is right now, popular and profitable, but popular and profitable isn't as good as wildly popular and hugely profitable, so they're trying to raise the stakes.

I can't help but see the SyFy Channel having a Stargate: Atlantis effect. A few years ago, the producers/writers seemed to think they were giving the people what they want by killing a major male character for no plot reason (and, they insist, no personal reason) and replacing him with Firefly's Jewel Staite, thus severely skewing SGA's Hot Guy to Hot Girl ratio whilst losing an interesting, entertaining, well-established character. It turns out that the show badly underestimated its audience, as the backlash was so intense and angry and prolonged that they soon found themselves scrambling to find a way to bring this guy back to life, but plot or contractual obligations prevented them from doing much about it. It's one of the the classic TV blunders: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Also, Syfy looks like an abbreviation for Syphyllis. That's just undignified.