After 16 years of being known as the SCI FI Channel, the cable network home for science fiction is undergoing a genre-appropriate identity change. The new name for the network, according to a report on the network's news site, SCI FI Wire, will be SyFy, which remains pronounced the same.

The idea behind the new brand name is to broaden perception and show that the network embraces all sorts of imagination-based entertainment beyond simply science fiction. This includes fantasy, supernatural, paranormal, reality, mystery, action and adventure - all of which is already reflected in the network's programming.

This also provides the brand an ownable trademark that can be used across media, since the previously used term "Sci Fi" was a public use term.

"Imagine Greater" will become the new brand message and tagline.

"Without abandoning our legacy or our core audience, we needed to cultivate a distinct point of view with a name that we could own that invites more people in and recognizes our broader range of programming with literally something for everyone," Sci-Fi President David Howe said in a statement. "Syfy allows us to build on our 16-year heritage of success with a new brand built on the power that fuels our genre: the imagination. Syfy ushers in a new era of unlimited imagination, exceptional experiences and greater entertainment that paves the way for us to truly become a global lifestyle brand."

The new brand name will launch in July, timed in hand with the premiere of the new scripted drama Warehouse 13 on air and at SCIFI.COM, backed by an aggressive marketing campaign, which will kick off this spring.