Shadowhunters premiered on television.
Freeform is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is owned by the Disney -- ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company .. The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company. ABC. American Broadcasting Company. basic cable. cable television. satellite. satellite television. television channel. television channel. The channel primarily consists of TV series and films geared towards teenagers and young adults -- with some programming skewing towards young women -- in the 14-34 age range , a target demographic designated by the channel as `` becomers '' while some programming featured on Freeform -LRB- primarily consisting of movies -RRB- is secondarily geared towards a family audience .. Its programming includes contemporary off-network syndicated reruns and original series , feature films and made-for-TV original movies , and some religious programming .. off-network syndicated. Broadcast syndication. made-for-TV original movies. television film. religious programming. Religious broadcasting. Since the network was launched in April 1977 , it has undergone various changes to its on-air identity -- having changed its name seven different times , the most of any American television network -- and programming over the course of its history .. The network was founded as the CBN Satellite Service , an extension of televangelist Pat Robertson 's Christian Broadcasting Network ; it evolved into a family-focused entertainment network in 1981 , eventually becoming known as The Family Channel by 1990 -- after the network was spun out of CBN into the for-profit International Family Entertainment .. founded. Television networks preceding Freeform. Pat Robertson. Pat Robertson. Christian Broadcasting Network. Christian Broadcasting Network. International Family Entertainment. International Family Entertainment. In 1997 , IFE and The Family Channel were acquired by a joint venture between News Corporation and Saban Entertainment , resulting in its re-branding as the Fox Family Channel .. News Corporation. News Corporation. Saban Entertainment. Saban Entertainment. The new owners sought to re-position the network towards younger viewers as a companion for their popular Fox Kids programming block .. Fox Kids. Fox Kids. After the network began to struggle as a result of their changes , the venture was sold to The Walt Disney Company in May 2001 , in a sale that also included Saban Entertainment ; the channel altered its name to ABC Family six months later on November 10 .. The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company. ABC. American Broadcasting Company. Saban Entertainment. Saban Entertainment. On October 6 , 2015 , Disney -- ABC Television Group announced that the network would rebrand as Freeform , officially adopting that name on January 12 , 2016 .. ABC. American Broadcasting Company