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.

Equestrian-lifestyle network Ride TV will launch as a subscription video-on-demand channel on Comcast's Xfinity X1 platform this summer, the channel said. It will be available for $4.99 per month, the Fort Worth, Texas-based channel said in a release.

Network CEO Michael Fletcher said in the release: “I wish to personally thank the leadership of Comcast for launching our service. By supporting independent networks like Ride TV and making them available via the Xfinity X1, it is evident Comcast is committed to giving customers more choice when it comes to enjoying the programming that’s most important to them."

Ride TV's carried as a channel by distributors that include Dish Network, Fios TV, Frontier Communications, Armstrong, Sling TV, Google Fiber and CenturyLink Prism. It also has a distribution agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative that facilitates carriage via smaller distributors. 

Ride TV, the equestrian-focused independent TV network, said it executed an affiliation agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative, making it easier for the small to midsized multichannel providers that belong to the coop to add the channel. This is the Fort Worth, Texas-based programmer's first NCTC deal. It previously signed distribution deals with the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative and with the TV regulatory authority in Canada.

“As a truly Independent television network, we are happy to partner with NCTC and its independent member operators to deliver content to the millions of subscribers who enjoy the equestrian lifestyle and culture,” Peter Clifford, Ride TV’s senior VP of domestic distribution, said in a release.

Ride TV said the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) determined that the equestrian-focused programmer will be added to the list of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution in Canada. The channel said it will be "the first network of its kind in Canada" and will be available to subscribers across the country.

“This is groundbreaking for Ride TV and it proves that the popularity of horses transcends the globe. Canada is a vibrant horse market, and we look forward to making Ride TV available to subscribers on every cable, satellite or IPTV platform in the country,” Michael Trujillo, the network's SVP of international distribution, said in a release. “We are extremely grateful to our sponsor TELUS for their extraordinary vision in recognizing the need for a unique, entertaining and compelling network like Ride TV in Canada.”

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Ride TV carries original programming, such as the musical profile series Unbridled Song, plus live equestrian sports.

Ride TV, an equestrian-focused programmer, has hired veteran executive Peter Clifford as senior vice president of distribution, responsible for distribution within the United States and territories. Michael Trujillo, who had headed distribution, now will focus on international markets as SVP of international distribution, the network said.

Clifford most recently was senior vice president of distribution at RFD-TV, where he negotiated linear and digital distribution agreements and oversaw affiliate marketing, Ride said. His distribution experience also includes five years at World Wrestling Entertainment as SVP of distribution and affiliate marketing, where he built the pre-curser to the WWE Network, WWE Classics On Demand, as well as overseeing all PPV agreements and affiliate marketing. Clifford also served as the regional VP and general manager at Golf Channel, Ride said.

“Ride TV feels very fortunate to have someone with Peter's experience leading our domestic distribution efforts. It's not very often you find someone who has this many years in the cable distribution business, but to also have experience in a very similar genre and market is incredibly lucky for us,” Craig Morris, president of Ride TV, said in a release. “It's a tough marketplace for independent channels and everyone is looking for an advantage, and we at Ride TV feel that, with Peter's relationships, we should be able to accelerate that process greatly."

Clifford said in the release: “I look forward to working with the team at Ride TV and helping them grow the service. With all of the change happening in our industry today, from streaming and authentication technology to the discussions in Washington, and the dire need for MVPD’s to acquire and retain customers, I believe there is a unique opportunity to 'reinforce' the value of strong niche programming. Ride TV is in a unique position to deliver.”

Ride TV has signed a distribution pact with CenturyLink that will see the equestrian-focused programmer added to the Prism TV Sports Plus package on April 19. The network, which launched in 2014, also is carried nationwide by satellite-TV provider Dish Network and by wireline distributors Armstrong Cable, Jefferson County Cable, Shentel and Windstream. 

“We are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement with CenturyLink. Being able to tell the stories and show the unique lifestyles of real horsemen and women (to an audience who would not ordinarily see it) has been a life-long goal,” Ride TV president Craig Morris said in a release. “I want to personally thank the leadership at CenturyLink for recognizing the important role that horses have played in shaping the world we live in. There would be no cowboy if it were not for the horse.”

“Prism TV has experienced exponential growth over the past few years and their markets line up perfectly with our core demographic,” network SVP of global distribution Michael Trujillo said in the release. “As they continue their expansion across the United States, we’ll be right there with them providing their subscribers with unique programming that embraces the equestrian lifestyle.”

Ride Television Network (Ride TV) and Dish Network said they reached a carriage agreement for Dish to carry the startup equestrian lifestyle network. The channel, which debuted in fall 2014, will join the lineup of Dish’s America’s Top 250 and Heartland programming packages later this year, according to the programmer.

“We are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement with Dish. Being able to tell the stories and show the unique lifestyles of real horsemen and women to an audience who would not ordinarily see it, has been a life-long goal,” Ride TV president Craig Morris said in a relase. “I want to personally thank Dish and Charlie Ergen for recognizing the important role that HORSES have played in shaping the world we live in. There would be no Cowboy if it were not for the horse.”

“We’re a perfect fit for Dish and are excited about our business partnership,” Michael Trujillo, Ride TV’s vice president of global distribution, said in the release. “Dish is an innovative company that reaches every community across the United States, and we look forward to providing their subscribers with unique programming that embraces the equestrian lifestyle.”

Ride TV original programming includes This Old Horse, a documentary series about the most famous horses in history, Rockstar Vets, a reality show with a famous equine surgeon, and coverage of Western and English equine competitions. Pictured: Ride TV host Carly Twisselman