 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Arlington, Texas |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Great American Media |
| Sister channels | Great American Faith & Living |
| History | |
| Launched | December 31, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-12-31) |
| Former names | Great American Country (1995–2021) GAC (1995–2013; secondary branding throughout run of network) GAC Family (2021–22) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Service(s) | DirecTV Stream,Frndly TV,FuboTV,Hulu with Live TV,Philo,Sling TV, Vidgo TV |
Great American Family is an Americancable television network owned byGreat American Media. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming such as television series andmade-for-TV movies—some of which contain faith-based themes.
It was originally established in 1995 byJones Radio Network asGreat American Country (GAC), acountry musicchannel. GAC was later acquired byScripps Networks and, in turn,Discovery Inc.; under Scripps, GAC was relaunched to focus primarily upon lifestyle programming pertaining to theAmerican Heartland and theSouth, with country music programming being gradually phased out.
On June 28, 2021, the channel was acquired by GAC Media—a new ownership group that includes formerCrown Media CEOBill Abbott, andHicks Equity Partners. On September 27, 2021, the network was relaunched asGAC Family (later Great American Family); its format mirrors the programming strategies Abbott had developed while atHallmark Channel, including a focus on original movies and specials tied to holidays. Its productions also leverage talent previously associated with Hallmark Channel, such asCandace Cameron Bure (who was also named chief content officer). The previous country lifestyle format was moved to Ride TV—a second channel acquired by GAC Media–which was concurrently relaunched as the sister networkGAC Living (later Great American Faith & Living).
As of February 2015, GAC was available to approximately 59 million television households (51% of pay television customers) in the United States.[1]
The channel was launched on December 31, 1995, with the first music video to be broadcast on the channel,Garth Brooks' "The Thunder Rolls".[2] The channel was originally owned by theCentennial, Colorado-basedJones Radio Network.
On October 12, 2004,Scripps Networks acquired Great American Country from Jones Radio Network.
In late 2005, television industry trade publicationBroadcasting & Cable named GAC as one of TV's "Breakout Networks", saying of the channel: "The emerging GAC is a younger, hipper version [ofCMT] that respects Nashville's country roads but widens the boulevards."[3]
In December 2007, the network announced a partnership withABC Radio Networks (now Cumulus Media Networks) to produceGAC Nights: Live from Nashville, a syndicated country music radio show broadcast from GAC'sMusic Row studios and hosted by GAC personalities Suzanne Alexander,Storme Warren, andNan Kelley.[4]
In July 2008, Scripps Networks was spun off from the E. W. Scripps Company asScripps Networks Interactive.[5]
On October 1, 2013, the network unveiled a new logo inspired by the U.S. flag, dropping the "GAC" acronym, while also going back to using the original "Great American Country" name in full. The network stated that it wanted to emphasize its expansion from a country music-oriented channel to one with a larger emphasis on "country" as referring to a "sense of place" and lifestyles (citing programming such asCelebrity Motor Homes andFarm Kings as examples).[6] With the channel's rebranding, the daily music video showDaily Countdown was renamedGreat American Playlist.Top 20 Country Countdown continued to air (it was cancelled in December 2018), and the network still offered country music specials includingBackstory,Introducing andOrigins.[7]
In March 2018,Discovery Inc. acquired Scripps Networks Interactive.[8]
On June 7, 2021,GAC Media, aArlington-based investment group led by private equity investorTom Hicks and formerCrown Media Holdings CEOBill Abbott announced that it would acquire Great American Country from Discovery Inc.; the company had recently announced its intent tomerge withWarnerMedia. GAC Media would also acquire the equestrian networkRide TV.[9] Abbott had abruptly stepped down from Crown Media in January 2020, shortly afterHallmark Channel was criticized for pulling commercials from the wedding registryZola that included alesbian couple.[10]
In August 2021, GAC Media announced that it would relaunch Great American Country asGAC Family on September 27, with the GAC initials re-backronymed to stand for "Great American Channels".[11] The channel wasrepositioned as a family-oriented general entertainment network with similarities to Hallmark Channel, which Abbot had previously overseen as Crown Media CEO.[12] The previous country lifestyle format was transferred over to Ride TV, which concurrently rebranded as the sister channel GAC Living.[12]
GAC Family would mirror many of the programming strategies that Abbott developed while overseeing Hallmark Channel, including original made-for-TV movies and holiday programming.[13] The network has signed deals with a number of actors that have been associated with Hallmark Channel productions,[14] includingTrevor Donovan,Jen Lilley,[15]Jessica Lowndes,Jesse Metcalfe,[14]Danica McKellar,[16] andCameron Mathison,[17] to appear in GAC Family original movies.[14] On April 19, 2022, it was announced that GAC Media had hiredCandace Cameron Bure—who had a long-standing relationship with Hallmark Channel dating back to 2008—as its chief content officer,[18] and that she would develop, produce and star in original romantic comedies and holiday content for its networks.[19][13]
During GAC Media's firstupfronts presentation in April 2022, Abbott toldBroadcasting & Cable that the quick transition to GAC Family did not give them enough time to promote the channel to advertisers—many of whom had already made their advertising commitments for the fourth quarter—leaving it unable to fully capitalize from the Christmas holiday season in 2021. However, Abbott felt that the market would be "pretty strong" in 2022, and believed that the network was "certainly selling family-friendly content and quality original movies with talent that people love and resonate with viewers".[13] The network slated 18 new original movie premieres for Great American Christmas in 2022.[20] He also revealed plans for new digital platforms, including a free ad-supported streaming service known as "Great American Adventure", and a "fan portal" that would allow users to interact with GAC talent.[13]
In July 2022, GAC Media announced a corporate rebranding that would replace the "GAC" prefix with "Great American", with GAC Family being rebranded as Great American Family on August 20, 2022, and GAC Media changing itstrade name to Great American Media.[21]
On February 6, 2024,Mario Lopez announced a multi-year deal with Great American Media to appear in productions across its properties, with Lopez expected to be involved in Great American Family's slate of Christmas movies for 2024.[22]
Great American Family is positioned as a family-oriented channel with original series and movies reflecting "American culture, lifestyle and heritage", and emphasizing "relationships and the emotional connections related to holidays, seasons and occasions".[12] Abbott stated that the network planned to feature "soft faith" andsecular programming, describing the market for faith-based programming as being "grossly underserved".[18][23]
The network acquired season 2 ofWhen Hope Calls, a spin-off of Hallmark Channel'sWhen Calls the Heart that originally aired on the network's streaming serviceHallmark Movies Now.[24] In February 2022, it acquired reruns of theFull House sequel seriesFuller House, which was originally produced forNetflix.[25]
Under its previous ownership, original programming included series such asKimberly's Simply Southern, a cooking show featuring Kimberly Schlapman of the country groupLittle Big Town;Farm Kings, a reality show chronicling the King family of Freedom Farms; andCelebrity Motorhomes.[26] From 2011 through 2013, GAC broadcast theNational Finals Rodeo.[27][28]
Following the cancellation of Hallmark Channel's annualKitten Bowl special (a feline-centric parallel toAnimal Planet's annualPuppy Bowl special, which airs on the day of theSuper Bowl), the network announced that it would present a similar event known as theGreat American Rescue Bowl in 2023, with hostBeth Stern moving over to the new program.[29]
In July 2023, it was announced that Great American Family would broadcast theTournament of Roses Parade beginning in 2024 under a multi-year deal, replacing Hallmark Channel as its "official" cable broadcaster (notwithstanding the event also being carried on cable byCowboy Channel).[30]
In a November 2022 interview withThe Wall Street Journal, chief creative officer Candace Cameron Bure stated her desire to produce movies with stronger faith-based themes for Great American Family, explaining that GAC "wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment". She stated, "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core." Of Bure's implication that Great American Media productions would never depictsame-sex couples, Abbott responded, "It's certainly the year 2022, so we're aware of the trends. There's no whiteboard that says, 'Yes, this' or 'No, we'll never go here.'"[31]
Bure's remarks faced criticism from members and supporters of theLGBT community, as they were believed to be an allusion to the increasing use ofprogressive themes—such as recognition ofLGBT relationships—in Hallmark Channel productions.[18][32][23] In response to the criticism, Bure stated that people of various "identities" worked on Great American Media programming, and that "all of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people."[33][34][35] In December 2022, actorNeal Bledsoe announced via social media that he would end his relationship with GAC Media, stating that "the thought that my work could be used to deliberately discriminate against anyone horrifies and infuriates me", and that "I could never forgive myself for continuing my relationship with a network that actively chooses to exclude the LGBTQIA+ community".[36] In October 2023, Abbott distanced himself from Bure's statements, stating that they were not on behalf of Great American Media.[37][38]
On November 5, 2010,AT&T U-verse dropped all Scripps Networks, including GAC, due to acarriage dispute over an increase inretransmission fees.[39] Two days later the dispute was resolved.[40][41]
In October 2021, GAC Media reached an agreement with over-the-top serviceFrndly TV.[42]
In November 2021, Philo and GAC Media reached a deal to add GAC Living and GAC Family to the service beginning in early December 2021.[43]
In March 2025, FCC chairmanBrendan Carr sent a letter toYouTube TV parent companyGoogle requesting comment on its non-carriage of Great American Family, accusing the company of "deliberately [marginalizing] faith-based and family-friendly content". YouTube responded to the complaint, stating that the company "welcome[s] the opportunity to brief the FCC on YouTube TV's subscription service and the strategic business decisions we make based on factors like user demand, operational cost and financial terms, and to reiterate that we do not have any policies that prohibit religious content".[44]
As of July 2025, GAC is available to watch onTruth Social’s streaming service Truth +.[1]
