As a condition of the spin-off, the channel was contractually required to maintain airings of The 700 Club and an annual telethon the last Sunday in January these conditions have applied to all future owners of the channel. It was spun off into a for-profit company known as International Family Entertainment (IFE) in 1990, eventually becoming known as the Family Channel. It evolved into a family-focused entertainment network in 1981. The network was founded as a religious channel, the CBN Satellite Service-an extension of televangelist Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. Since the network was launched on April 29, 1977, it has undergone various changes to its programming format and naming under its four different owners. Its programming includes contemporary off-network syndicated reruns and original series, feature films, and made-for-TV original movies.
Freeform primarily broadcasts programming geared toward teenagers and young adults – with some skewing toward young women – in the 14–34 age range, a target demographic designated by the channel as 'becomers'. Freeform is an American multinational basic cable channel owned by the ABC Family Worldwide subsidiary of Walt Disney Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.
