ABC Family Targeting Older Women Amid Restructuring

This story first appeared in the July 25 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

ABC Family is looking to tighten its viewership focus. On the heels of the July 8 exit of Kate Juergens — a top architect of the network’s millennial brand — and a restructuring under new chief Tom Ascheim, the network known for teen smash Pretty Little Liars wants to age up how it is perceived and lure more 20-somethings. ABC Family’s median viewer is 29, which dips to 25 for original programs.

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Ascheim, a former Nickelodeon exec who took over in December, tells THR his five-year plan is for ABC Family to be seen as a young-adult network instead of one that caters to families with kids. He plans to increase scripted fare and add more unscripted, starting in October with hidden-camera show Freak Out. “When we hit that 20-something person, I think we’re really on target,” says Ascheim. “When we’re deeply teen-focused, it feels like we’re a little bit young. So we’re trying to get from high school to college and then from college to graduate school.”

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Year to date, ABC Family is up 1 percent in total viewers (1.1 million, live plus 7) but its gross ad revenue dipped from $523.4 million in 2012 to $515.7 million last year, per SNL Kagan (though it’ll top both in 2014). “Our network feels less young adult than we want it to,” he says. “What we want is greater audience concentration, more than we really want to move the average.”