Great American Media
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Founded | June 7, 2021 |
| Founder | Tom Hicks, Bill Abbott |
| Headquarters | Arlington , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Bill Abbott (CEO), Candace Cameron Bure (Chief Creative Officer) |
| Products | Great American Family, Great American Faith & Living, Great American Pure Flix, Great American Adventures, Great American Community |
| Owner | Majority owned by GAC Media |
| Website | www |
GAC Media, LLC, operating under the trade name Great American Media, is a media enterprise headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It owns the U.S. cable channels Great American Family and Great American Faith & Living, as well as the streaming platform Great American Pure Flix, which is operated in collaboration with Sony Pictures.
History
Established on June 7, 2021, GAC Media acquired the cable channels formerly known as Great American Country and Ride TV from Discovery, Inc. and Ride Television Network. The acquisition was led by private equity investor Tom Hicks alongside former Crown Media CEO Bill Abbott. These channels were rebranded collectively as the "Great American Channels": GAC Family embraced a family-oriented entertainment lineup reminiscent of the Hallmark Channel, while Ride TV was transformed into GAC Living.
GAC Family’s programming centered on original movies and seasonal holiday specials, securing agreements with actors familiar from Hallmark productions. In April 2022, the company appointed Candace Cameron Bure, a veteran of Hallmark projects, as Chief Creative Officer to spearhead original content creation and star in new productions. Abbott revealed intentions to broaden their digital footprint by launching an over-the-top lifestyle-focused free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel named Great American Adventures, along with a dedicated "fan portal."
In May 2022, Great American Community was introduced as a free ad-supported streaming service featuring short-form videos and interactive communities involving GAC personalities, with plans for an optional premium subscription tier. By July 2022, Great American Adventures debuted on Xumo, showcasing Americana-inspired lifestyle shows. That same month, a corporate rebranding took place: GAC Media adopted the commercial name Great American Media, while GAC Family and GAC Living were renamed Great American Family and Great American Living respectively.
In May 2023, Sony Pictures’ faith-focused streaming platform Pure Flix announced a merger with Great American Media. Post-merger, GAC Media would retain majority ownership of the combined company, with Bill Abbott continuing as CEO. In February 2024, the company secured a multi-picture agreement with actor Mario Lopez. That year also marked the relocation of GAC Media’s headquarters from Fort Worth to Arlington, Texas.
Linear networks
Over-the-top services
- Great American Adventures
- Great American Community
- Great American Pure Flix (a joint venture with Sony Pictures' Affirm Films)
External links
- Articles with short description
- 2021 establishments in Texas
- American companies established in 2021
- Companies based in Arlington, Texas
- Entertainment companies established in 2021
- Mass media companies established in 2021
- Entertainment companies of the United States
- Mass media in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex