SCI FI Channel Name Change
We’ve known this was coming down the pike for some time and figured once Bonnie Hammer was promoted with greater leverage at NBC Universal her influence over the SCI FI Channel would bring about several changes, the most noticible being a name change.
Rumors running across the Net is the channel’s bigwigs are considering the name “Beyond,” which to them will reflect the move “Beyond” science fiction which has been quite evident over the past two years. Not sure how the pay channel Showtime will feel about the use of this name since they already have a specific channel in their lineup with that particular title, but at this time, all this is rumor and speculation — however sound of a foundation it appears to be resting on.
Stay tuned to Slice of SciFi for updates.
Great, now they have an excuse to put more cr@p on like wrestling!
That name is TEH_MEH
Wonder-Foul. The final nail in the coffin of the once-great Sci-Fi Channel. They have finally killed it completely.
I remember the ray of hope I felt when Scifi started producing BSG. I remember when that ray was extinguished when Scifi produced Ghost Plumbers. Now instead of looking forward to more good space scifi I guess I can look forward to Mailmen looking for Bigfoot.
This is a another sad day for us nerds…/sniff
For a minute it was Beyond me why they’d pick such a lame-assed name. Then I remembered the wrasslin’ and other decidedly not sci-fi stuff they’re showing…and it dawned on me.
The name is to save face.
“Hey, we don’t just do sci-fi! We do other stuff as well so quit yer bitchin’ , you geeks!”
I still have the little SciFi Channel button I got at NAB (I think…or some other TV trade show) when it was kicking off.
I shall treasure it and mourn the loss.
It is another sad day for us nerds. The SciFi channel has become more and more of a disappointment over the past year or so. Hopefully someone with enough $ and chutzpa will create a start-up dedicated to us Sci-Fi fans.
Hell BBC America has more going on than Sci-Fi channel.
beyond? why not wwf? or stuff you dont wanna see on saturdays? or maybe MTV 3? no music or sci fi?
beyond epic fail i think.
darcy
It started with MTV/VH1/MTV2. None of those channels show music videos anymore unless it’s early in the morning, late at night. Most kids probably don’t even know what the acronyms stand for.
The real slide began when TechTV gets bought by G4 and turned into a Spike wannabe that is neither about tech or gaming anymore. Fitting, since Spike was originally The Nashville Network, a country music channel that got homogenized.
Now Sci-Fi is going that route. Specialized channels are definitely going the way of the dodo. And people wonder why I keep considering ditching my TV and putting a PC with a large flatscreen in there.
Bleh…
I’m just glad I have The Science Fiction Radio Theater to fall back on for all of my science fiction needs.
–end shameless plug–
Seriously though, I don’t get it, why change the name?
Brandon from TSFRT
If they do change their name it means that someone could make a real Sci-Fi channel.
And the real funny thing is I was just about to say that Eric.
Don’t you feel a little kick in the face when you read this? But this really is a outward blow to our faces that the audience it started with is not the audience they want anymore . Honestly, FOX has more scifi then scifi. “Beyond”? Beyond what? Beyond crap? Beyond the ability to come up with something good?
SiFi use to be one of the best channels. they spent so much time in redoing battlestar gal & dropped all of its competion. then putting wrestling on. wtf?! since when was wresting science fiction. its a sport. now i know what the problem is.. nbc is running it. everyone knows nbc is always last in the popularity race. has been for many years. makes me wanta turn my sat off!
Good, maybe my site http://tvscifi.com will stop getting their complaint emails!
I knew something was up when FOX and USA both show more scifi than scifi channel. Some new possible network names:
“Tights,” the wrestling channel
“Canadian Monster Vision”
“Degree,” The Product Placement Network
“Infomercial Central”
Skiznot on September 24th, 2008 7:02 pm
“Ghost Plumbers,” LOL
Yes, that “reality” scifi is even worse then the fake wrestling!
good… let it die. I for one am glad that they are moving “beyond” sci-fi.. the channel has been a MAJOR disappointment for a long time… yes there are shows on that channel that i love… atlantis sg-1 ..even ghost “plumbers” (lmao!!!!)
but if sci-fi isnt going to make science fiction its modus operandi then screw them… let them have their wrastlin (yes im from the south! LOL) and let them have their shameless plugs… ill move over to spike and watch DS9 and voyager… i am okay with ditching them…. you know kinda like they did to us…
sci-fi channel = EPIC FAIL
Why is it that there is so much source material out there that gets produced SO BADLY? Movies, TV and SciFi channel. Occasionaly we get a bright star like BSG but most of the time we get junk. I gave up on SciFi when they put on wrestling
When the SCI-FI channel goes away, I think we can all be thankful that those awful SCI-FI produced movies will go away.
This sort of thing seems to happen with every basic cable channel. They stray from its orginal focus. It happened with MTV. Remember then they actually showed vidoes? TVLand is straying now. They’re producing reality TV shows now. How does George Foremen = classic TV? The History Channel shows Ice Road truckers. I watched a lot of that. They managed to squeeze 30 seconds of history content into each episode.
It seems the people who run these channels aren’t skilled enough to keep their channels interesting and keep their focus.
On the bright side though, after the SCI-FI Channel is completely destroyed, they’ll probably create SCI-FI II. Where they will show actual SCI-FI, like MTV 2.
Check out The Classic Science Fiction Channel, my ‘rant’ on the broadcaster I call ’skiffytube’.
Lot’s of great stuff that OUGHT to be showing on SciFi Channel, but has been replaced by wrestling and ‘paranormal reality’ shows.
Good riddance, I say
But why change something if it isn’t broke?
I think they have too much free time on their hands between green lighting those craptastic Saturday night movies and allowing wrestling to take over Tuesday nights.
This is what Scifi should be:
http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=22139
I was wondering. If they do change the name, would that mean that they’ll change the “saturn” logo as well?
We have been devoted sci fi fans for years, and to be so INSULTED by the producers and program directors of the sci fi channel is too much to be tolerated!
It was bad enough when they took Dresden off the air… that was something to look forward to on Sunday nights. And Firefly, Farscape and so many others… great shows!
Now, when is Eureka due back if ever? They quit mid season!!! With no word about returning?
Do they really think sci fi fans will watch the wrestling shows or those outrageous ghost plumbers? And then the plumbers go international?! YUK!
The insults keep mounting and soon… very soon, they will lose ALL their viewers.
Way to go folks!
I finally got fed up with the trail of trash that comes on during the holidays and came to the computer to bitch. Lo and behold I was not alone.It really is too bad.I am saddened at the demise.We can all be confident that one day something good will happen on the sci fi front.Yet I fear it will not be today.