“Great American Family” network has purchased the Sony Christian streaming site “PureFlix” in order to expand its faith-based and family-friendly shows, distancing itself even further from LGBTQ programming available on the Hallmark Channel.
In a statement from the network’s merger announcement, GAF said that the company “will build on the multi-faceted, multi-channel family and faith media brands in the portfolio” as both have sought to “serve and delight consumers in the family and faith categories.”
“In a media environment where programming and distribution business models are in a constant state of flux, this agreement provides a rare opportunity to maximize our potential with the expertise, market knowledge and content creation capabilities of a world class partner like Sony Pictures,” Great American Media President and CEO, Bill Abbott, said.
'Hallmark Channel' Rival 'Great American Family' Purchases Christian Streaming Service 'PureFlix' To Produce More "Faith And Family-Friendly" Entertainment – Bounding Into Comics https://t.co/idEtqeW45Z
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“Family-friendly entertainment remains an important segment of the industry, and merging these two entities will create the greatest opportunity to achieve more scale for Pure Flix as it continues to build its subscriber base,” Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Global Television Studios and Corporate Development for Sony Pictures added.
“Bill and the Great American Media team have been successfully leading the Great American Family and Great American Living brands, and we believe they have a winning plan to take Pure Flix to even greater heights,” Ahuja continued.
Both Abbott and actress Candace Cameron Bure left the Hallmark Channel for Great American Family after its programming and advertising started involving LGBTQ stories.
Bure recently spoke to the Wall Street Journal about joining GAF and said it was because she wanted to share “faith-filled” stories “that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them.”
“I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment,” the actress said, noting that Hallmark had essentially become “a completely different network” than when she signed on due to a “change of leadership.”
In an earlier statement about her move to GAF, the “Full House” star said “I’m very excited to develop heartwarming family and faith-filled programming and make the kind of stories my family and I love to watch. I am constantly looking for ways that I can inspire people to live life with purpose.”
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