Pasadena, Calif. • BYUtv wants the world to know that it’s not just for Latter-day Saints — it’s for everyone looking for family entertainment.
And it's putting on a new face with a new logo, a new slogan — “Together” — and a new attitude. Executives at the Brigham Young University owned-and-operated channel took their campaign to raise BYUtv's profile to members of the Television Critics Association on Wednesday, unveiling their new media push.
“We have such a singular focus on this co-viewing, family audience,” said BYUtv managing director Michael Dunn. “We say it's our lane. And I think the branding really reflects that. It feels a little younger, a little hipper. Maybe a little less stodgy and more embraceable.”
The new logo, which is scheduled to roll out on March 18, features a lower-case “byu” with a lower-case “tv” under it on the right, both within an incomplete circle. On screen, the logo will be animated with bright colors and circles floating around it.
The goal was to find something that felt “youthful without feeling like a kids' network,” Dunn said. “We're not Nickelodeon, you know.”
It’s part of a major rebranding and refocusing of BYUtv that began when Dunn was hired to lead BYU Broadcasting in 2017. BYUtv is selling itself to TV critics — and to the public — as “a family entertainment network available over cable, satellite and streaming” that is “the family-entertainment brand that kids want, parents trust and which families enjoy together.”
The goal is not just to introduce BYUtv to a wider audience, but to overcome the misperceptions that it is a student-run TV channel (it’s not), and that it is wall-to-wall religious programming. (It airs a couple of early-morning hours of religious-themed programming during the week, and more on Sunday.)
BYUtv presented its upcoming scripted series “Dwight in Shining Armor” to critics, and highlighted offerings ranging from the sketch comedy show “Studio C” to the competition “Reality Race,” from the hidden-camera show “Random Acts” to the forthcoming cooking competition “Dinner Takes All.”
The new “together” slogan will be featured in programming across the channel — sports, scripted series, reality shows and more.
“You'll see 'cheer together,' 'laugh together,' 'worship together,'” Dunn said. “I mean, it just fits into everything that we do.”
In the search for a new logo and brand identity, BYUtv turned to brand consultant Troika, whose other clients include Netflix, The CW, Disney and Nickelodeon.
“You would not believe how long this has taken,” Dunn said. “Because you want to get it right. I mean, our old logo was in place for nine years, so it's a big statement when you decide to make a change. And I have looked at hundreds of options.
“We tested it and it had good resonance. But it’s so subjective with a logo. I think you’ll see when it’s animated how good it looks.”
