New Name For Sci Fi Channel

[Roshi]

What does Michael think about that? I think I've seen him post here last year (after the aborted Tim Brazeal fiasco)...

 

[RoJoHen]

"SyFy"? I get better shows from Adult Swim!

 

[WendellM]

It doesn't seem to be going over too well:
http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/03/viewers-bash-sci-fis-name-change.html

"He doesn't like you... I don't like you either!"

They should call it the "if" channel. They've had commercials where they take the "i" from sci and the "f" from fi to come up with "if." So they should have just gone with the IF Channel. The tag line could be something like "IF ONLY..."

They could call it Imaginative Fiction - IF

Tag line - What IF?

Now that I like.

 

[3D Master]

^That reminds me...

"Pseudo-religious monkeys, now on SyFy!

...and PORN, because why the fuck not?"

(I know, I'm having too much fun. I'm on too much caffeine right now. Deal with it.)

EDIT: Seriously though, would it surprise anyone if they did actually pulled that stuff? They're done everything else.

Well, there is this soft-porn show Forbidden Science about clones and implanted and erased memories and shit, and it'd be actual Science Fiction!

Ah, dang, it's probably to geeky for the SyFy Channel.

 

[WendellM]

Too good not to share:

 

[Michael Hinman]

If you Google SyFy you get this as the number one hit -

http://www.airlockalpha.com/

That website used to be called SyFy Portal but they changed their name because of the long standing rumor that Sci-Fi would change to SyFy.

That is incorrect. We changed our name because we sold our brand.

We had no clue it was being used for the new name of a network until Sunday night when I read it in the New York Times.

 

[Michael Hinman]

If you Google SyFy you get this as the number one hit -

http://www.airlockalpha.com/

That website used to be called SyFy Portal but they changed their name because of the long standing rumor that Sci-Fi would change to SyFy.

I don't understand why Mike changed the name of the site, if anything he would have gotten even more traffic from this change. It's not a copy right issue since Mike was using that name for over 10 year before it was even a thought in the scfi channel execs heads. I dunno, from a marketing POV he should have kept the name for sevel reasons, not just this one.

Skiffy shoud have used 'beyond' instead like they talked about.

Hi, FleetLord!

Yeah, it would've definitely boosted traffic if I had kept the name.

But I sold the rights to it last month for what the media has described as a "substantial" sum. They wanted to make sure no one else could capitalize on the name.

In fact, they are trying to rewrite history and claim they developed it a decade ago, and not me, lol! =P

(No one believes them).

 

[Michael Hinman]

I don't understand why Mike changed the name of the site, if anything he would have gotten even more traffic from this change.

He sold it to them...

Did not now that, been a few months since I emailed Mike. I wonder if they thought it would be new compitition to them. if you go to syfyportal.com right now it links to airlockalpha.com so he still has control of it. I can tell you that skiffy have already locked down these domain names:

syfy.com
syfychannel.com
syfynetwork.com

I do wonder though if skiffy can now copyright SYFY, whereas scifi was to general a term to copyright. That, in itself, may be a another big reason for this change.

Well, we thought it might be competition for us, and we launched our new brand right away in case it WAS competition for us, but we had our doubts ... the money they paid is nothing like you would pay someone just to start up a site like us.

 

[Michael Hinman]

And some more details over the Syfy name stealth acquisition.

The Sci Fi Channel is ditching its name in favor of the more trademarkable Syfy. And that solves a mystery for Michael Hinman, founder of Airlock Alpha, a science-fiction fan site that until last month was known as SyFy Portal.

Hinman, a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Business Journal, sold the decade-old site's original name in a deal that closed last month to a New York-based entity that identified itself only as New Fizz Corp. That name was evidently only a front for NBC Universal, which owns Sci Fi and wanted to keep its rebranding plans under wraps.

How NBCU Kept Sci Fi Rebranding Under Wraps

Very nice catch, there. I had been wondering where I'd seen the name "SyFy" before but hadn't the chance to Google it. It all sounds above board, and sci fi fans are among the most effective at unearthing that type of information... so why bother with such a low-key approach to the name change? Concerned about a backlash of some kind?

I'm sure they kept it from me because if I had known, I might have asked for a lot more money. =P

If I were to acquire something, I certainly wouldn't want the seller to know that I had money to spend. So good move on their part.

 

[Michael Hinman]

Sorry ... I thought there were just a couple of posts that I needed to respond to. I'm combining them all here:

is that why syfyportal had to change it's name?

Yes.

He did not have to change the name, he had the name for 10 years before scifi even thought of changing it, so Mike had every legal right to it. Skiffy's only way to get it was to flash alot of money and buy it, so thats what happened.

Correct.

What does Michael think about that? I think I've seen him post here last year (after the aborted Tim Brazeal fiasco)...

When I developed the name, I never intended it to be the name of a network. But I like the name (I would like it better if they would capitalize the "F" because then it would at least prod people to pronounce it as "sci-fi" rather than "see-fee.")

I am biased because I created it, and while I have no legal attachment to it anymore, I want to see it succeed. It's like a child going off on his own ...

But I fear this may become the new "New Coke."

 

[cylkoth]

When I developed the name, I never intended it to be the name of a network. But I like the name (I would like it better if they would capitalize the "F" because then it would at least prod people to pronounce it as "sci-fi" rather than "see-fee.")

I am biased because I created it, and while I have no legal attachment to it anymore, I want to see it succeed. It's like a child going off on his own ...

But I fear this may become the new "New Coke."

I'm wondering if you wondered why the New Fizz Company was so hot to pay you the "allegedly substantial" sum for the name. Did you ask at all what they were going to do if you decided to sell? (if you're permitted to disclose, that is)

 

[backstept]

this is just another reason why I don't need cable tv anymore . . . or at least digital cable with a DVR . . .
these days I hardly watch any TV apart from Heroes and BSG and the occasional star trek re run and almost everything is available online a day or two after it airs, so I would have no problem downgrading to basic cable and getting all my shows online

 

[Michael Hinman]

When I developed the name, I never intended it to be the name of a network. But I like the name (I would like it better if they would capitalize the "F" because then it would at least prod people to pronounce it as "sci-fi" rather than "see-fee.")

I am biased because I created it, and while I have no legal attachment to it anymore, I want to see it succeed. It's like a child going off on his own ...

But I fear this may become the new "New Coke."

I'm wondering if you wondered why the New Fizz Company was so hot to pay you the "allegedly substantial" sum for the name.

I am confused by why it's "alleged," and why the word is in quotes.

Of course I wondered. Who wouldn't? I asked, but they wouldn't tell me. So the price kept going up.

Did you ask at all what they were going to do if you decided to sell? (if you're permitted to disclose, that is)

Of course I did.

 

[zakkrusz]

Yet another example of the decline of modern civilization and intelligence.

 

[backstept]

it's a result of having far too many channels . . . we can't seriously watch them all, so the networks have to do anything they can to get the viewers they need to make their advertising profitable . . .

 

[Tom]

When I developed the name, I never intended it to be the name of a network. But I like the name (I would like it better if they would capitalize the "F" because then it would at least prod people to pronounce it as "sci-fi" rather than "see-fee.")

I am biased because I created it, and while I have no legal attachment to it anymore, I want to see it succeed. It's like a child going off on his own ...

But I fear this may become the new "New Coke."

I'm wondering if you wondered why the New Fizz Company was so hot to pay you the "allegedly substantial" sum for the name.

I am confused by why it's "alleged," and why the word is in quotes.

Of course I wondered. Who wouldn't? I asked, but they wouldn't tell me. So the price kept going up.

Did you ask at all what they were going to do if you decided to sell? (if you're permitted to disclose, that is)

Of course I did.

Well the few name I have been approached on and sold, I usually don't look a gift horse in the mouth and ask to many questions when there offering alot of money for it. After all while good names can help with search engines it is the site that is the most important.

You would not believe how many Star Trek related domain names CBS has bought over the past 15 years and they still have them because of brand protection, for instance klingons.com etc.. Skiffy though has not obtained (nor can they legaly with out offer up the big bucks) all the syfy.xxx names they only have the .com all the otherslike .net and .tv are owned by others who are hoping skiffy offers them some cache. That said, I think the main reason they wanted syfyportal.com was that is was the only reconizable scifi site with that name, the other syfy domain names are all just parked or have nothing of consequence there.

 

[Tom]

You know there are so many big execs out there that want a rival scifi station, i am really surprised that cable king daddy Viacom has not put out a channel that would compete with skiffy, or course, if they did that then everyone would be scream to have all Star Trek on 24/7 .

 

[Carpe Occasio]

If you Google SyFy you get this as the number one hit -

http://www.airlockalpha.com/

That website used to be called SyFy Portal but they changed their name because of the long standing rumor that Sci-Fi would change to SyFy.

That is incorrect. We changed our name because we sold our brand.

We had no clue it was being used for the new name of a network until Sunday night when I read it in the New York Times.

I was making an assumption based on partial info I read on the Internet. I stand corrected.

 

[Aragorn]

I posted this in the other SyFy thread, but respelling it this way is similar to Froot Loops -- sounds like fruit but there is no fruit. The network is basically a dumping ground for reruns of other networks' shows and cheap straight-to-DVD movies. The original programming is few and far between, and the failures far outweigh the successes.

 

[Morpheus 02]

Michael,

Thanks for posting some responses here, as well as the recent news. It really threw me for a loop as why you made such a radical change.

Loved the new layout, but the new name seemed to come out of nowhere. Now it makes sense.

I am still a loyal reader!

p.s. Anyway you can now do SyFy full time, and have your day job be your part time job?