• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 16, 2009

The Sci Fi Channel is taking on a new brand identity--the kind a teenager might adopt for text-messaging patois. On July 7, the channel will become Syfy.

The network is hoping the new ID will shed any perceptions that it still has only niche appeal--even as it has become a top-20 network among 18- to-49-year-olds.

The accompanying tagline "Imagine Greater" launches at the same time this summer.

The NBC Universal-owned network says the Syfy moniker "broadens perceptions" and allows it to lay claim to a wider array of genres, from paranormal to mystery to reality--now standard fare for nearly every cable network. It already carries wrestling each week.

Sci Fi President Dave Howe said the network will "embrace our legacy and our core audience" but look to "cultivate a distinct point of view with a name that we could own that invites more people in and reflects our broader range of programming."

The network said the new ID will debut in July along with a new drama, "Warehouse 13," and a new season of "Eureka."