Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Encyclopedia
Syfy formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television
channel featuring science fiction
, supernatural
, fantasy
, reality
, paranormal, wrestling
, and horror
programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate
NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast
and General Electric
. The name Syfy was officially adopted on July 7, 2009.
, then a joint venture between Paramount Pictures
and Universal Studios
. The channel was seen as a natural fit with classic film and television series that both studios had in their vaults, including Rod Serling's Night Gallery
(from Universal TV) and Paramount's Star Trek
and classic Universal horror films such as Dracula
and Frankenstein
. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry
and author Isaac Asimov
were among those on the advisory board.
In 1994, Paramount was sold to Viacom
, followed by Seagram
's purchase of a controlling stake in MCA (of which Universal was a subsidiary) from Matsushita the next year. In 1997, Viacom sold its stake in USA Networks to Universal, who spun off all its television assets to Barry Diller
the next year. Three years later, Diller would sell these assets back to Universal, by then a subsidiary of Vivendi
SA (at the time known as Vivendi Universal). Vivendi's film, television, and cable TV assets were then merged with General Electric
's NBC
to form NBC Universal
in 2004. A high definition
version of the channel launched on October 3, 2007 on DirecTV
.
genre, the term "Syfy" can be protected by trademark
and therefore would be easier to market on other goods or services without fear of confusion with other companies' products. The only significant previous use of the term "Syfy" in relation to science fiction was by the website Syfy Portal, which became Airlock Alpha
after selling the brand to NBC Universal (represented by a shell company) in February.
Reaction to the new name has been largely negative, with people often pronouncing Syfy as "Siffy", "Skiffy", or "See Fee" to make fun of the name change. The parody news anchor Stephen Colbert
made fun of the name change by giving the channel a "Tip of the Hat" for "spelling the name the way it's pronounced" and noting that "the tide is turning in my long fought battle against the insidious 'soft C'". The new name took effect on July 7, 2009. Syfy is in the process of making more reality shows and edging farther away from science fiction programming, and has been making a conscious effort to do this since the 1990s, also to significant negative response.
The rebranding efforts at NBC Universal's Sci Fi Channels worldwide resulted in most rebranding as Syfy or Syfy Universal, however, over one-third of the channels did not take on "Syfy" as any part of their names: Australia's remained the Sci Fi Channel
, channels in Japan and the Philippines rebranded to or were replaced by Universal Channel, while each of the channels in Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia would become Sci Fi Universal. Syfy, in several languages, does not suggest imagination or science fiction so much as the syphilitic.
s, miniseries
, and series. In the past, the channel concentrated on classic science fiction (SciFi) shows. However NBC has altered its schedule in the past few years to expand the lineup, and the channel now airs shows including WWE's Smackdown, changing from the original niche programming to offerings towards more general-entertainment.
It gained national prominence in 2003 with the airing of Steven Spielberg
Presents: Taken, which won the Emmy Award
that year for best miniseries. In 2006, it also began including several non-science-fiction programs in its line-up, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
, WWE NXT
and WCG Ultimate Gamer
.
Syfy has aired anime
programming off and on throughout its history. It first began airing English dubbed anime films and original video animation
s in the early 1990s, although the programs were often edited in order to fit the market pressures typically placed on basic cable. It was the first to show the Streamline Pictures
English dubs of the films Robot Carnival
, Lensman
, and Akira
, as well as airing Central Park Media
's Dominion: Tank Police
, Gall Force
, and Project A-ko
. Eventually the channel stopped airing anime, until June 11, 2007, when it began airing a weekly 2-hour programming block called "Ani-Monday". Intended to directly compete with Cartoon Network
's Adult Swim
, the block features English dubs of various anime series licensed by Manga Entertainment
. During February 2008, the channel also aired anime on Tuesday nights in a second programming block. In July 2009, Syfy announced that they had renewed and expanded their licensing agreement with Manga Entertainment
to continue the "Ani-Monday" block, as well as to add a similar two-hour block of horror anime, also called "Ani-Monday", to their sister channel Chiller
.
On April 13, 2010, World Wrestling Entertainment
announced that they had signed a multi-year agreement that would move WWE SmackDown from MyNetworkTV
to Syfy, starting on October 1, 2010 at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central. The WWE says that the addition of WWE SmackDown to Syfy programming will assist with their targeting of young male and female audiences.
Syfy gained worldwide attention with its original series Battlestar Galactica
. The show gained many different opinions of praise from popular news organizations like The New York Times
and Entertainment Weekly
, to influential people like Stephen King
. The show was so widely accepted that the United Nations invited the main cast to a retrospective and discussion. Battlestar Galactica was aired from 2003–2009, with a mini-series followed by four seasons comprising 75 episodes.
, Sci Fi Pictures original films are typically independently-made B-movie
s with production budgets of $1 to 2 million each. They usually premiere on Saturday nights. They are also one of the sponsors for the Coalition for Freedom of Information
. These films are occasionally retitled for their DVD releases.
in a section called "Sci Fiction
", edited by Ellen Datlow
, who won a 2005 Hugo Award
for her work there. The stories themselves won a World Fantasy Award
; the first Theodore Sturgeon Award
for online fiction (for Lucius Shepard
's novella "Over Yonder"), and four of the Science Fiction Writers of America's Nebula Award
s, including the first for original online fiction (for Linda Nagata
's novella "Goddesses"). As part of the channel's rebranding in 2009, the URL was changed to Syfy.com.
On April 22, 2006, the site launched Sci Fi Pedia as a commercial wiki
on topics including anime
, comics, science fiction
, fantasy
, horror
, fandom
, game
s and toy
s, UFOs, genre-related art
and audio
, and the paranormal
. In 2009, Sci Fi Pedia was shut down without explanation.
.
.
and TV Guide.
For 2010, Syfy averaged 1.199 million viewers, down 6% from 2009. In Adults 18-49 the channel averaged .539 million viewers, down 11% from 2009. For 2010 Syfy did not hold any of the Top 20 Primetime Original Series.
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel featuring science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, paranormal, wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, and horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
and General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. The name Syfy was officially adopted on July 7, 2009.
History
The Sci-Fi Channel was devised in 1991 by Mitchell Rubenstein and Laurie Silvers, two entrepreneurs from Boca Raton, who currently own HomeTown Cable in South Florida. In March 1992 the concept was picked up by USA NetworksNBC Universal Cable
NBCUniversal Cable is the division of NBCUniversal that oversees the following cable television networks:*Bravo*Chiller*Cloo*mun2*Oxygen*Syfy*Telemundo Puerto Rico*Universal HD*USA Network*The Weather Channel*Weatherscan-Information:...
, then a joint venture between Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. The channel was seen as a natural fit with classic film and television series that both studios had in their vaults, including Rod Serling's Night Gallery
Night Gallery
Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
(from Universal TV) and Paramount's Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
and classic Universal horror films such as Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
and Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
and author Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
were among those on the advisory board.
In 1994, Paramount was sold to Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, followed by Seagram
Seagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
's purchase of a controlling stake in MCA (of which Universal was a subsidiary) from Matsushita the next year. In 1997, Viacom sold its stake in USA Networks to Universal, who spun off all its television assets to Barry Diller
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller is the Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and the media executive responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting.-Early life:...
the next year. Three years later, Diller would sell these assets back to Universal, by then a subsidiary of Vivendi
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
SA (at the time known as Vivendi Universal). Vivendi's film, television, and cable TV assets were then merged with General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
's NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
to form NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
in 2004. A high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
version of the channel launched on October 3, 2007 on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
.
Rebranding
On March 16, 2009, Sci Fi announced that it would be changing its name to Syfy, to end confusion over how to capitalize and stylize their name and as part of an on-going rebranding effort. Network officials also noted that, unlike the generic term "sci fi", which represents the entire science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
genre, the term "Syfy" can be protected by trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
and therefore would be easier to market on other goods or services without fear of confusion with other companies' products. The only significant previous use of the term "Syfy" in relation to science fiction was by the website Syfy Portal, which became Airlock Alpha
Airlock Alpha
Airlock Alpha, formerly SyFy Portal, is an entertainment news website focusing on science-fiction, fantasy and comic book television series and films.-History:...
after selling the brand to NBC Universal (represented by a shell company) in February.
Reaction to the new name has been largely negative, with people often pronouncing Syfy as "Siffy", "Skiffy", or "See Fee" to make fun of the name change. The parody news anchor Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
made fun of the name change by giving the channel a "Tip of the Hat" for "spelling the name the way it's pronounced" and noting that "the tide is turning in my long fought battle against the insidious 'soft C'". The new name took effect on July 7, 2009. Syfy is in the process of making more reality shows and edging farther away from science fiction programming, and has been making a conscious effort to do this since the 1990s, also to significant negative response.
The rebranding efforts at NBC Universal's Sci Fi Channels worldwide resulted in most rebranding as Syfy or Syfy Universal, however, over one-third of the channels did not take on "Syfy" as any part of their names: Australia's remained the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (Australia)
Sci Fi Channel is an Australian subscription channel that airs science fiction, fantasy and related programs. It is available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms. It is currently the only Sci Fi channel worldwide to keep the Saturn logo.-Shows:Sci Fi currently airs...
, channels in Japan and the Philippines rebranded to or were replaced by Universal Channel, while each of the channels in Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia would become Sci Fi Universal. Syfy, in several languages, does not suggest imagination or science fiction so much as the syphilitic.
Programming
Syfy's programming includes original television movieTelevision movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s, miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, and series. In the past, the channel concentrated on classic science fiction (SciFi) shows. However NBC has altered its schedule in the past few years to expand the lineup, and the channel now airs shows including WWE's Smackdown, changing from the original niche programming to offerings towards more general-entertainment.
It gained national prominence in 2003 with the airing of Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
Presents: Taken, which won the Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
that year for best miniseries. In 2006, it also began including several non-science-fiction programs in its line-up, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, WWE NXT
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
and WCG Ultimate Gamer
WCG Ultimate Gamer
WCG Ultimate Gamer is a reality television program that airs on Syfy. It is sponsored by Samsung and WCG. The show is hosted by Hannah Simone and co-hosted by Joel Gourdin. The first season began airing on March 10th. A second season was confirmed at CES on January 7th 2010, and began airing on...
.
Syfy has aired anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
programming off and on throughout its history. It first began airing English dubbed anime films and original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
s in the early 1990s, although the programs were often edited in order to fit the market pressures typically placed on basic cable. It was the first to show the Streamline Pictures
Streamline Pictures
Streamline Pictures was an American media company that was best known for its distribution of English dubbed Japanese animation. -Founding:Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1988, Streamline Pictures was one of the first North American companies that was created primarily for the intention of...
English dubs of the films Robot Carnival
Robot Carnival
is a Japanese anime anthology film released in 1987. It consists of nine shorts by different directors, many of whom started out as animators with little to no directing experience...
, Lensman
Lensman (anime)
is an anime TV series and movie based on the Lensman novels by E. E. Smith. Although these were produced with the knowledge and consent of Smith's estate, they were so displeased with the result that for several years they rejected any other suggestions of adaptation...
, and Akira
Akira (film)
is a 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk science fiction film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, and starring the voices of Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama and Taro Ishida. The screenplay is based on Otomo's manga Akira....
, as well as airing Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...
's Dominion: Tank Police
Dominion: Tank Police
is a two volume manga series written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. Set in the fictional city of Newport, Japan, in a future in which bacterial air pollution has become so severe that people must wear gas masks when outdoors, the series follows a police squadron that uses tanks.Dominion has...
, Gall Force
Gall Force
is a metaseries of science fiction anime OVA by the studio Artmic, with production by Youmex and AIC. The original character designs were by Kenichi Sonoda, though these were dropped for the Gall Force Revolution remake .-Star Front Gall Force:This was the origin and precursor to the Gall Force...
, and Project A-ko
Project A-ko
is an animated movie that led to later releases set in the same series, and spinoff release as well. This parody series references a number of other works of anime from the 1970s and 1980s...
. Eventually the channel stopped airing anime, until June 11, 2007, when it began airing a weekly 2-hour programming block called "Ani-Monday". Intended to directly compete with Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
, the block features English dubs of various anime series licensed by Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand...
. During February 2008, the channel also aired anime on Tuesday nights in a second programming block. In July 2009, Syfy announced that they had renewed and expanded their licensing agreement with Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand...
to continue the "Ani-Monday" block, as well as to add a similar two-hour block of horror anime, also called "Ani-Monday", to their sister channel Chiller
Chiller (TV channel)
Chiller is a 24-hour American cable and satellite television channel specializing in horror and suspense programming. conglomerate NBCUniversal.- Origin :...
.
On April 13, 2010, World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
announced that they had signed a multi-year agreement that would move WWE SmackDown from MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
to Syfy, starting on October 1, 2010 at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central. The WWE says that the addition of WWE SmackDown to Syfy programming will assist with their targeting of young male and female audiences.
Syfy gained worldwide attention with its original series Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
. The show gained many different opinions of praise from popular news organizations like The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, to influential people like Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
. The show was so widely accepted that the United Nations invited the main cast to a retrospective and discussion. Battlestar Galactica was aired from 2003–2009, with a mini-series followed by four seasons comprising 75 episodes.
Sci Fi Pictures original films
Developed by Chris Regina, Ray Cannella, and Thomas VitaleThomas Vitale
Thomas P. Vitale is Executive Vice President of Programming & Original Movies for Syfy and Chiller, and is responsible for the acquisition and scheduling of all programming, as well as the development and commissioning of original movies and specials, for both networks.-Biography:He started working...
, Sci Fi Pictures original films are typically independently-made B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s with production budgets of $1 to 2 million each. They usually premiere on Saturday nights. They are also one of the sponsors for the Coalition for Freedom of Information
Coalition for Freedom of Information
The Coalition for Freedom of Information is a group which seeks the release of classified governmental UFO files as well as scientific, congressional and media credibility for the study of this subject....
. These films are occasionally retitled for their DVD releases.
Upcoming series/pilots
- America's Smartest Kids: Reality television series which pits America's smartest kids against each other to "invent a better future".
- Battlestar Galactica: Blood & ChromeBattlestar Galactica: Blood & ChromeBattlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is an upcoming television pilot based on the television series Battlestar Galactica. It stars Luke Pasqualino, Ben Cotton, and Lili Bordán...
: A prequel series set during the First Cylon War, which takes place between the series CapricaCaprica (TV series)Caprica is a science fiction drama television series. It is a spin-off prequel of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, taking place about 58 years prior to the events of Battlestar Galactica. Caprica shows how humanity first created the robotic Cylons who would later plot to destroy humans in...
and Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
. - Change the Day You Die: Reality television series which follows a group of individuals as they are shown how their bad habits will cause their deaths in the future, and follows the journey they must go through to change those bad habits.
- Culture Shock With Tommy Lee: Reality televisionReality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series which follows Tommy Lee as he investigates various secret societies around the world. - Dinner With Deepak: Reality television series which follows Dr Deepak ChopraDeepak ChopraDeepak Chopra is an Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as an endocrinologist and later shifted his focus to alternative medicine. Chopra now runs his own medical center, with a focus on...
as he dines each week with three high profile dinner guests. - Hi Tech Hoaxes: Reality television series which follows a group of hoaxers and pranksters who each week perform hoaxes on unsuspecting people based on requests from viewers.
- In the Dark: The series follows the adventures of an amateur ghost hunting team who continually find their efforts frustrated by their own incompetence.
- Me and Lee: A down on his luck twenty year old goes into hospital for back surgery, only to meet Lee Major. It doesn't take too long before he is being talked into going back to Lee's lab and becoming a bionic man.
- Monster Man: Reality television series which follows Cleve Hall and his family business of making monster and alien props for Hollywood.
- Overthunk: Reality television series which follows two teams as they compete against each other to design, build and set off "massive chain-reaction machines".
- Stunts Unlimited: Reality television series which takes the viewers behind the scenes and reveals exactly what goes into creating big stunts for Hollywood.
- Three Inches: After being struck by lightning Walter Spackman discovers he has developed a super power; the ability to move an object with his mind, but only over a distance of three inches.
- Tyler Shields: Reality television series which documents the work life of unconventional photographer Tyler Shields.
Website
The channel's website launched in 1995 under the name "The Dominion" at SciFi.com. In 2000, it dropped the name "The Dominion.". It was one of the first large-scale, publicly available, well-advertised, and non-portal based Web sites. In addition to information on the channel's programming, it covers science fiction in general. The site has won a Webby Award and a Flash Forward Award. From 2000–2005, it published original science fiction short storiesShort Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
in a section called "Sci Fiction
Sci Fiction
Sci Fiction was an online magazine which ran from 2000 to 2005. At one time, it was the leading online science fiction magazine. Published by Syfy and edited by Ellen Datlow, the work won multiple awards before it was discontinued.- History :...
", edited by Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist.-Biography:Datlow was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Omni Online from 1981 through 1998, and edited the ten associated Omni anthologies...
, who won a 2005 Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
for her work there. The stories themselves won a World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
; the first Theodore Sturgeon Award
Theodore Sturgeon Award
The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is given each year for the best science fiction short story of the year and is the short fiction counterpart of the Campbell award , published in English....
for online fiction (for Lucius Shepard
Lucius Shepard
Lucius Shepard is an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leans into other genres, such as magical realism. His work is infused with a political and historical sensibility and an awareness of literary antecedents...
's novella "Over Yonder"), and four of the Science Fiction Writers of America's Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
s, including the first for original online fiction (for Linda Nagata
Linda Nagata
Linda Nagata is an American science fiction author who won the Nebula award for best novella in 2000 . She frequently writes about nanotechnology and the integration of advanced computing with the human brain.-Bibliography:...
's novella "Goddesses"). As part of the channel's rebranding in 2009, the URL was changed to Syfy.com.
On April 22, 2006, the site launched Sci Fi Pedia as a commercial wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
on topics including anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, comics, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, fandom
Fandom
Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
, game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s and toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s, UFOs, genre-related art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and audio
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
, and the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
. In 2009, Sci Fi Pedia was shut down without explanation.
Science Fiction Weekly
Science Fiction Weekly was an online magazine started and edited by Craig Engler and Brooks Peck on August 15, 1995. In April 1996 it began appearing exclusively on "The Dominion" as part of a partnership with the site, before being sold to the Sci Fi Channel completely in 1999. The publication covered various aspects of science fiction, including news, reviews, original art, and interviews, until it merged with Sci Fi Wire in January 2009. It was last edited by Scott EdelmanScott Edelman
Scott Edelman is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer and editor. He became the editor of SCI FI Magazine in 2002, and has edited the channel's online magazine Science Fiction Weekly since 2000.He was the founding and only editor of the science fiction magazine Science Fiction...
.
Sci Fi Magazine
Sci Fi Magazine is the channel's official magazine. , it was edited by Scott EdelmanScott Edelman
Scott Edelman is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer and editor. He became the editor of SCI FI Magazine in 2002, and has edited the channel's online magazine Science Fiction Weekly since 2000.He was the founding and only editor of the science fiction magazine Science Fiction...
.
Blastr
Blastr (formerly Sci Fi Wire), an adjunct of the Syfy website, is the daily news wire edited by Scott Edelman. It covers news related to science fiction, fantasy and supernatural-themed entertainment, including films, television, games, books, fandom and rumors. Blastr is frequently cited as a source of breaking news by other Web sites and by publications as varied as the New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
and TV Guide.
Ratings
In 2008, Syfy, then the Sci Fi Channel, averaged a 1.0 Household rating; 242,000 Adults 18-34 (up 4% vs 2007); 616,000 Adults 18-49 (up 5% vs 2007); 695,000 Adults 25-54 (up 6% vs 2007) and 1,278,000 total viewers (up 7% vs 2007). It saw two years of consecutive growth among female audiences, with a 12% increase among women 25-54, a 14% jump in women 18-49 and 6% in women 18-34. The channel also was ranked among the top ten watched channels for male viewers ages 18–54, and women ages 25–54 (#10).For 2010, Syfy averaged 1.199 million viewers, down 6% from 2009. In Adults 18-49 the channel averaged .539 million viewers, down 11% from 2009. For 2010 Syfy did not hold any of the Top 20 Primetime Original Series.
External links
- Sci Fi charts its course for the future, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- Interview with Dave Howe