Freeform is a television channel which first launched in April 1977 as CBN Satellite Service, a religious channel that was part of Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network. Over the years, the channel has undergone some key structural and programming changes. They first rebranded as The CBN Family Channel (1988 – 1990) and then as The Family Channel (1990 – 1998). During these years, the channel grew steadily in popularity and garnered a large following.

The first big change came in 1998 when the owner company IFE was sold to Fox, and the channel was renamed Fox Family. The programming was changed and most of the content was restructured to target the younger population. This move didn’t work as well as Fox expected, so the channel was then sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2001 and renamed ABC Family. The channel had a broader programming scope with TV shows and other content made for both teens and young adults.

As ABC Family, it became a prime source for teen dramas and other popular shows like Pretty Little Liars, a change that helped to define the channel and give it an identity. This popularity kept the channel afloat and in 2016, executives decided it was time to rebrand and specialize the channel. Thus, ABC Family was renamed and restructured as Freeform on January 12, 2016.

The channel mostly offers reruns of contemporary comedies, but there are also original shows that premiere in designated time slots on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

Primetime night slots on Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for movies, but Freeform also shows movies on other days if there are no original series scheduled in those time slots. Instead of sticking to the same routine throughout the week, the channel often schedules weekend events when large swathes of airtime are taken up with film franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and High School Musical.

Since going live, Freeform has introduced a variety of seasonal and weekend programming segments. Weekend schedules include Funday Weekend and 30 Days of Disney with scheduled content that is usually themed around Disney movies and characters. Seasonal blocks include special schedules which air during holidays such as Halloween and Christmas.

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