Two of the largest and most trusted companies in family entertainment are merging.
Pure Flix and Great American Media announced on Thursday the signing of an agreement to merge the two companies, saying it will benefit the faith and family audience and “provide an opportunity for each platform to reach a larger and broader audience.”
The Sony-owned Pure Flix is a faith-based streaming service. Great American Media owns the Hallmark-rival Great American Family.
Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Great American Media President, will serve as CEO of the merged entity and report to the board of directors.
“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,” Abbott said. “This merger will allow us to further our commitment to original, quality content and makes Great American Media and Pure Flix leaders in a large and under-served market.”
.@GAfamilyTV & @PureFlix's merger allows us to maximize potential w/the expertise & content creation capabilities of a world-class partner like @SPTV, furthering our commitment to original, quality content in a large & under-served market. #WelcomeHome #StreamClean @BWWMatt https://t.co/uPtcBt97Lj
— Bill Abbott (@billabbottHC) May 11, 2023
A news release said Pure Flix will “become part of the merged company,” with Great American Media contributing two cable networks (Great American Family and Great American Living) and the free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channel Great American Adventures.
“Great American Media will retain a majority interest in the merged company and will oversee day-to-day management of the independent organization,” the release said.
Sony also touted the deal.
“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,” said Ravi Ahuja, chairman of global television studios and corporate development for Sony Pictures. “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.”
The companies share the “same mission to serve and delight consumers in the family and faith categories,” a news release said.
“Combining the power of Great American Media’s linear networks and FAST channel with Pure Flix’s SVOD service and vast content library will provide an opportunity for each platform to reach a larger and broader audience,” the release said. “Bringing the brands together into one entity will immediately establish the company as a leader in the genres.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/People Images
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
