Bill Abbott, who ran the squeaky-clean Hallmark Channel, is looking to turn cable networks recently acquired by his GAC Media into a new family friendly entertainment destination.

The Great American Country channel, acquired from Discovery for $90 million, is becoming GAC Family, effective Sept. 27. 

Ride TV, a privately held channel focused on equestrian sports, was also acquired by GAC Media. It will become GAC Living.

The channels were described as the new company's "flagships." The networks have deals in place that put them in about 50 million homes. The company said the networks would be launching across platforms, but didn’t disclose plans for distribution beyond cable. At Hallmark, Abbott launched the streaming subscription service Hallmark Movies Now.

After years of growing ratings and profits at Crown Media Family Networks, the media company owned by Hallmark Cards, Abbott left in January 2020 following a decision to pull a commercial featuring a gay marriage.

In June, GAC Media, formed by Abbott and Dallas-based Hicks Equity Partners LLC, said it had purchased Great American Country and Ride TV and planned to invest in family friendly programming and to look for other growth opportunities.

“At GAC, we’re focused on creating strong brands, compelling programming and a consistent family friendly viewing experience across multiple genres,” said Abbott. “The launch of GAC Family and GAC Living is the next phase in our strategy to bolster the company’s portfolio with networks that deliver on the promise of safe and entertaining storytelling that enriches lives.”

GAC Family’s tagline will be “Stories Well Told.” The channel's programming plan looks like a page from the Hallmark Channel playbook under Abbott. It will continue to run content that captures “American culture, lifestyle and heritage,” GAC Media said. Its schedule will evolve to include family friendly original movies and series that “celebrate relationships and the emotional connections related to holidays, seasons and occasions.

GAC Living will use the tagline “Life Well Lived.” It will be the unscripted companion to GAC Family, the company said. It will have more of a focus on southern and country living.

Specific programming plans will be announced in the future, the company said.

Actor Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch), will star in a new unscripted series for Great American Country launching next month.

The series, A Very Barry Branson, follows Williams as he goes to Branson, MO to launch a 1970’s musical variety show. The series premieres Feb. 5   

A Very Brady Branson follows a trend of celebrity-themed series on the network that incudes Off the Map With Shannen & Holly and the upcoming two-part series Betty White’s Smartest Animals in America, which premieres Jan. 17.

Great American Country has tapped veteran actress Betty White to host a new animal-themed reality series.

The series, Betty White’s Smartest Animals in America, will debut Jan. 17th and will feature White as she encounters various animals and explores their unique skills, said network officials.

Betty White’s Smartest Animals in America joins a slate of original shows, including Off the Map With Shannen & Holly and A Very Barry Branson, profiling former The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams, said network officials.

Great American Country will share the southeastern travels of Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs with viewers early in the new year.

Off the Map With Shannen & Holly, starring the actresses, former co-stars on Charmed and real-life friends, premieres Friday, Jan. 2 at 11 p.m. (ET/PT). The six-episode series features the pair as they travel on an adventure-fueled road trip through a six-state tour of the southeastern United States.

Viewers voted online on the activities they wanted to see the ladies to tackle, which impacted Off the Map's production in real time. The picks resulted in tomato fights in Kentucky and moonshine-making in Tennessee, and ghost tours in Georgia and dirt track races in Alabama. Along the way, their mutual love of animals takes them to a horse sanctuary near Lexington where they fall in love with a young foal and to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center where they help the staff tag and release a feisty alligator.

Off the Map With Shannen & Holly joins Great American Country’s slate of original programming, which includes the Lara Spencer-hosted Flea Market Flip, third-season hit Celebrity Motor Homes, and recently-launched popular series Flippin’ RVs and Barn Hunters.

Scripps Networks Interactive reported higher third-quarter profits and an increase in advertising sales

Net income rose 2% to $131 million, or 93 cents per share, in the quarter, from $129 million, or 87 cents a share, a year ago.

Revenues rose 4.5% to $644 million.  Advertising sales increased 5.4% to $432 million and affiliate revenue was up 3.8% to $198 million

The results were mixed because Wall Street analysts had expected 84 cents a share in earnings, which Scripps Networks beat, but $651 million in revenue, where the company fell short.

“Our networks consistently deliver the upscale audience that so many advertisers want to reach, as well as the high quality content that both traditional and new distribution platforms demand. Our compelling lifestyle video programming engages and inspires millions of consumers, across multiple geographies, devices and demographics,” CEO Ken Lowe said in statement. “These solid third-quarter operating results demonstrate our unique competitive advantage, and our ability to create long-term value for shareholders in a changing marketplace.”

Scripps Network’s Lifestyle Media segment, which includes cable channels like Food Network and HGTV, reported a profit of $296 million, up 2.5% from a year ago. Revenue rose 4.2% to $618 million. Ad revenue was up 5%, a bigger gain than other programmers have reported this quarter. Affiliate revenue was up 3.2% to $187 million.

The company said that operating revenues at HGTV rose 7% to $234 million, Food Network was up 4.1% to $212 million. Travel Channel was down 4.9% to $84 million. DIY jumped 9% to $37 million, Cooking Channel gained 7.2% to $28 million and Great American Country was up 16.9% to nearly $8 million.

Scripps Networks digital businesses had operating revenues of $23 million, down 11%.

Great American Country will follow the lives of alligator farmers in its new reality series, Growing Up Gator, the network said.

The six-episode series, which debuts Oct. 24, chronicles the exploits of third-generation alligator farmers Britney, Kasey and Chelsea Brooks as the look to relocate gators from public places where they might otherwise pose a threat, said network officials. Produced and created by Miami-based 2C Media for Great American Country, Growing Up Gator is executive produced by Chris Sloan and Carla Kaufman Sloan. Calvin Simmons serves as co-executive producer.

“In this show, you have three young ladies who are fearless when it comes to facing down alligators” said Steven Lerner, senior vice president of programming and development for Great American Country, HGTV and DIY Network in a statement. “The entire Brooks family works together to address the community’s need to remove alligators from public spaces where they could cause harm or be harmed themselves. It’s a courageous pursuit, and it’s a lot of fun to watch in Growing Up Gator.”

A week after Sony made a splash by signing up Viacom’s 22 networks to its planned over-the-top video offering, Dish Network announced that Scripps Interactive Networks has signed a comprehensive deal to offer its suite of channels including Food Network, HGTV and Great American Country to its own service targeted at Millennials.

Dish has said that it plans to launch the service – which some believe could be  named “nuTV” – early next year.

The Scripps agreement includes over-the-top (OTT) multi-stream rights for live and Video-on-Demand content. The agreement also expands Dish’s distribution of authenticated live and Video-on-Demand Scripps Networks programming on Internet-connected devices.

Moreover, the agreement widens exposure of Scripps Networks programming to a larger swath of DISH’s traditional viewer base by opening DIY Network and Cooking Channel to the popular “America’s Top 200” programming package.

The renewal agreement applies to the entire suite of Scripps Networks channels, including: HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country.

“DISH is delighted to add Scripps Networks’ award-winning lifestyle content to our growing library of sports, family, educational and entertainment options that will create a redefined video experience for a new type of consumer,” said Dish CEO Joseph Clayton in a statement. “This wide-ranging agreement gives DISH customers dynamic access to Scripps Networks programming today and tomorrow.”

The OTT rights allow access to Scripps Networks content through a future multi-stream subscription service of linear and Video-on-Demand content. With this capability, the content will be available to an untapped segment of customers that is seeking a flexible, content-driven, Internet-accessible service.

“This agreement demonstrates the consistent strength and popularity of our portfolio of brands, and enables even more people to enjoy DIY Network and Cooking Channel in addition to our existing offering on Dish,” said Scripps Interactive chairman and CEO Kenneth Lowe in a statement. “We are committed to making our lifestyle content available to consumers wherever and whenever they want it. This first-of-its-kind OTT deal for Scripps Networks Interactive enables us to reach even more people through Dish’s innovative services.”

The renewal also expands the authenticated Scripps Networks programming available to DISH customers at home or on-the-go via Internet-connected devices – televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and other devices. Dish customers will be able to use the DISH Anywhere™ app, dishanywhere.com and Scripps Networks’ web properties and apps to view live, Video-on-Demand and full-season content.

The updated agreement follows news of Dish’s groundbreaking agreements with The Walt Disney Company, announced in March, and with A+E Networks, announced in August.