In an announcement that could have far-reaching implications across the cable and streaming industries, on Thursday it was announced that PureFlix — a faith and family-focused streaming platform owned by Sony Pictures Television — has merged with Great American Media — the owners of Great American Family, one of the fastest growing cable channels in the United States. PureFlix will now fall under the Great American Media umbrella, joining other channels and services including, [Great American Living] and Great American Community.

“In a media environment where programming and distribution business models are in a constant state of flux, this agreement provides a rare opportunity to maximize our potential with the expertise, market knowledge and content creation capabilities of a world class partner like Sony Pictures,” Great American Media president and CEO, Bill Abbott said. “This merger will allow us to further our commitment to original, quality content and makes Great American Media and Pure Flix leaders in a large and under-served market.”

Abbott will continue to serve as CEO of the merged company. With the combination, Great American Media now has multiple cable channels, a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service, and a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platform that combine to have an expansive library aimed at providing viewers with family-friendly and faith-based programming.

“Family-friendly entertainment remains an important segment of the industry, and merging these two entities will create the greatest opportunity to achieve more scale for Pure Flix as it continues to build its subscriber base,” Sony Pictures Television chairman Ravi Ahuja said. “Bill and the Great American Media team have been successfully leading the Great American Family and Great American Living brands, and we believe they have a winning plan to take Pure Flix to even greater heights.”

After acquiring PureFlix in December 2020, Sony has seen the service grow to approximately 1 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. Great American Media’s flagship cable channel Great American Family is currently available in roughly 50 million homes across all major cable providers. The channel which was designed as a direct competitor of the Hallmark Channel — which Abbott is the former president and CEO of — features original Christmas movies, romantic comedies, and more that provide comfortable, lean-back viewing options.

The company has attempted to distinguish itself from Hallmark by actively and vocally avoiding anything that it determines as running counter to what religious families want to watch, specifically LGBTQIA+ characters and storylines.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the merger is subject to all traditional conditions, including regulatory approvals.