With faith and family-friendly content increasingly making a larger splash in theaters, TV, and streaming platforms, Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Great American Media, is exuberant about the future of entertainment.
And Abbott has many reasons to be elated.
Great American Family has consistently been the fastest-growing channel on cable, and Abbott recently took over as head of Great American Pure Flix, the streaming platform formerly known as Pure Flix, following a highly publicized merger.
“It’s been a great journey,” Abbott, who previously headed the Hallmark Channel, recently told CBN’s “Quick Start” podcast. “And we’ve had a lot of success so far.”
Great American Media’s properties offer clean, family-friendly content millions of Americans crave and have yet have too often been left wanting, with Hollywood churning out a plethora of movies and TV shows that relish in violence, sex, and other objectionable content.
Abbott was candid when asked why he believes the faith and family-friendly audience has been overlooked for so long.
“It’s because, quite frankly, the coastal elites have a different sensibility,” he said. “What is rewarded in Hollywood is being shocking and … pushing the envelope as far as possible.”
Sadly, Abbott said the emphasis is too often on engaging in these antics to get attention or win awards, yet he said many Americans want to see more edifying content.
“I think the majority of the country is looking for something quite different,” he said. “And you look at the awards show ratings, for example, and how far down they have been over the years, and it’s because they’ve totally gone off the rails in terms of what the offering is, and it’s out of touch with the sensibility of the majority of the country.”
Abbott called it a “privilege” to create content so many Americans deeply want to watch.
Great American Family recently announced a massive Christmas movie lineup, with actress Candace Cameron Bure serving as a prime network voice elevating the scope of work.
Listen to them on the latest episode of “Quick Start”
And over on the streaming side, Great American Pure Flix is focusing on a different aspect of celebration each week, ranging from “Getting in the Spirit” to “Celebrate Christmas Miracles,” all culminating with “Celebrate Keeping Christ in Christmas.”
Abbott said he wants the cable channel and streamer to be a “quality, go-to destination” for years to come.
“We really want — more than anything — to be a bright light in the world,” he said. “To positively impact the culture, to be that place that people can come home to and watch and just feel good.”
Find out more about Great American Family and Great American Pure Flix today.