#Sony’s Pure Flix to Merge With Hallmark Rival Great American Media

Pure Flix, Sony’s faith and family-based streaming platform, is set to merge with Great American Media, the rival to the Hallmark Channel, it was announced on Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the tie-up will see Pure Flix fall into the new entity, with Great American Media throwing in two cable networks — Great American Family and Great American Living — and a free ad-supported subscription streaming channel, Great American Adventures.

The proposed merger comes as family and faith-based TV series like Ted Lasso and The Chosen hit with audiences.

Pending regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, Great American Media, led by president and CEO Bill Abbot, will retain a controlling stake in the merged company, with Abbot as CEO, and oversee day-to-day management of all multi-channel family and faith media brands.

Bringing Pure Flix and Great American Media aims to secure scale among TV viewers of family and faith-based religious entertainment. “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,” said Abbott in a statement.

 “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,” Ravi Ahuja, chairman of global television studios and corporate development for Sony Pictures, added in his own statement.

Sony Pictures Television acquired Pure Flix in December 2020 and the streamers has near to 1 million subscribers across North America. Great American Family reaches into around 50 million homes.