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Wikipedia

Hallmark Channel

December 02, 2023

This article is about the American TV channel. For the former channels outside of the U.S., see Hallmark Channel (international).
"Odyssey Network" redirects here. For the Canadian Greek-language network, see Odyssey Television Network. For other uses, see Odyssey (disambiguation).

Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.

Hallmark Channel
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
HeadquartersStudio City, California
Programming
Language(s)English
Spanish
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerHallmark Media
Sister channelsHallmark Movies & Mysteries
Hallmark Drama
History
LaunchedSeptember 1992; 31 years ago (1992-09)
Replaced
Former names
  • VISN/ACTS (1992–1993)
  • Faith & Values Channel (1993–1996)
  • Odyssey Network (1996–2001)
Links
Websitewww.hallmarkchannel.com
Availability
Streaming media
Service(s)Frndly TV, fuboTV, Peacock, Philo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Vidgo, YouTube TV

The channel has its origins in the religious broadcasters American Christian Television System (ACTS) and the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network (VISN). The two services timeshared on a single satellite signal, which was later rebranded as The Faith & Values Channel in 1993. After Liberty Media acquired a 49% stake in the channel in 1996, it relaunched as the Odyssey Network. As Odyssey, the channel gradually phased out religious programming in favor of family-oriented films and television series—a pivot that intensified after Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company acquired major stakes in the channel in 1998.

In 2001, after a corporate reorganization, Odyssey rebranded as Hallmark Channel. By the 2010s, Hallmark Channel had established a focus on made-for-TV movies—particularly romance films and comedies—themed around specific seasons and holidays throughout the year. The strategy sought to create synergies with Hallmark's core greeting card business, and build upon the strength of the "Countdown to Christmas" programming event it first introduced in 2009.

As of February 2015, Hallmark Channel was available to approximately 85,439,000 pay television households (73.4% of households with television) in the United States.[1]

History edit

Main articles: Vision Interfaith Satellite Network and American Christian Television System

The Hallmark Channel traces its history to the launch of two separate religious cable channels, the American Christian Television System (ACTS) and the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network (VISN). The two networks began alternating time on a shared transponder slot on the Galaxy III satellite in 1992.[2] Under the original timeshare agreement, the network was branded as VISN/ACTS. Each network was provided time for its programming blocks, and would use their own logos.

VISN launched on July 1, 1988, and was founded by the National Interfaith Cable Coalition (NICC), in cooperation with several cable providers.[3] The coalition's membership consisted of 65 different religious groups.[4] It aired for about 16 hours a day and ran religious programs from mainline Protestant denominations such as the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ. In addition, Roman Catholic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jewish, and Islamic faiths also provided some programming.[5] VISN aired during the morning and evening hours. ACTS commenced operations in 1984, and was owned by the Southern Baptist Convention. It aired programming from evangelical and fundamentalist non-charismatic Christian groups such as the SBC, the Christian Reformed Church, and the Association of Regular Baptist Churches, as well as well-known evangelists such as Jerry Falwell, Charles Stanley and D. James Kennedy. Both channels aired several hours a week of religious children's programs, some of which overlapped, including Sunshine Factory, Joy Junction, Davey and Goliath, and Jot.

In 1993, VISN-ACTS was relaunched as the Faith & Values Channel; it began adding a few secular programs during this time, including news, information, and lifestyle programming[6]

Odyssey Network edit

In 1995, cable conglomerate Tele-Communications Inc.'s Liberty Media acquired a 49% ownership stake in the Faith & Values Channel, and took over operational control of the network. It added more secular programming to the network and reduced religious programming to about 10 hours a day. In 1996, the network was rebranded as the Odyssey Network (although on-air promotions often referred to the network simply as "Odyssey"), and launched a website, Odysseyfamily.com, which was used to provide program listings for the network.

 
Logo as Odyssey Network from 1996 to 2001

In 1997, channel CEO Gary Hill died. The Teaching of Christ, The Daily Mass and A Biblical Portrait of Marriage were regular religious programs on the channel. Wholesome off-network series on the channel were Brooklyn Bridge and Trapper John, M.D., as well as the Davey and Goliath claymation kids' show. The channel produced shows under the Odyssey Productions name. The channel had a variety show hosted by gospel singer CeCe Winans called CeCe's Place and launched Landmarks of Faith on July 1, 1998.[4]

Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company bought significant stakes, paid partly through programming commitments, in Odyssey in late 1998. Liberty had convinced Hallmark not to launch its own domestic channel, given difficulty getting carriage. The NICC and Hallmark-Henson would have equal shares while Liberty would increase its stake, while the three groups would share control of the board. Hallmark and Henson would have say over chief executive selection. While adding Henson's and Hallmark's libraries, the channel could not make major programming format changes, so cable systems could not drop them.[4] Hallmark hired former Fox Kids Network worldwide vice-chairman Margaret Loesch that year to overhaul Odyssey into a family channel.[7]

Under the new ownership structure, Odyssey underwent a major programming revamp on April 4, 1999; the revamp decreased the amount of religious programs on the network down to an average of four hours a day, although more hours were religious on the weekend. The channel began to focus more on family-targeted entertainment programming, including classic sitcoms and variety series (such as ALF and The Muppet Show), children's programs (such as The Archie Show, Fraggle Rock, and Zoobilee Zoo), and family-oriented films and miniseries (such as the cable broadcast premiere of Hallmark and Henson's 1996 adaptation of Gulliver's Travels). The afternoon block Leonard Maltin Presents featured films from the RHI Entertainment-owned Hal Roach Studios library, while Wednesday nights featured classic Hallmark Hall of Fame productions.[8]

Loesch explained that the three owners shared a commitment to "quality programming" and "raising the bar on television", and that the channel was being programmed in a direction reminiscent of television in the 1950s and 1960s, where broadcasters "really had quite broad fare, but you never had to ask anyone to leave the room, like your children".[8]

Hallmark Channel edit

In 2000, Odyssey's ownership group was re-organized as Crown Media Holdings, with Hallmark, Chase Equity Associates, Liberty Media, and the NICC transferring their shares in Odyssey to the company. There were plans for the company to go public; Hallmark received all of Crown Media's class B shares, which were worth ten votes each, thus giving it control of Crown Media.[9] After The Jim Henson Company was sold to German company EM.TV & Merchandising in February 2000, it sold its remaining stake in Odyssey the following month in exchange for 8% of Crown Media's stock.[9][10]

In March 2001, Crown Media announced that Odyssey would rebrand as Hallmark Channel on August 6, taking advantage of the better-known Hallmark brand to encourage wider carriage. Loesch commented that some viewers had mistaken Odyssey as being a travel or science fiction channel rather than family entertainment, and that Hallmark Channel's main goal would be telling "great stories".[11][12] Crown Media negotiated with the NICC to reduce the amount of religious programming Hallmark Channel would air to 14 hours per-week (as well as allow for less overtly-religious programs with broader, spiritual themes), and help fund and distribute a digital cable network for the NICC.[12][13] The channel's launch programming included the miniseries The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells, a new slate of original movies, and acquired programming such as Tales from the Neverending Story.[11]

 
Hallmark Channel's headquarters in Studio City, California

In 2002, the Hallmark Channel premiered a weekday morning talk show, New Morning.[14] A Sunday morning version, hosted by Naomi Judd, titled Naomi's New Morning, debuted in 2005[15] and lasted two years before being pulled from the schedule in early 2007. In 2004, the network launched a sister channel, Hallmark Movie Channel.[16]

Hallmark Channels in international markets were sold for about $242 million in 2005 to Sparrowhawk Media, a private equity group backed by Providence Equity Partners and 3i.[17] The channel in 2005 had its highest-rated year with 34% increase in viewers, being ranked seventh in growth, and the highest-rated movie on a basic cable network (Meet the Santas).[18]

With the expiration of RHI Entertainment's exclusive contract with Hallmark Channel, Larry Levinson Productions became the channel's sole producer. In 2007, additional producers were added as suppliers as the channel increased the number of original films by 50% from 20 in 2007 to 30 in 2008.[19]

In January 2008, the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign purchased an hour of Hallmark Channel's primetime slots under a paid programming arrangement to run a town hall special promoting Clinton's campaign for President of the United States on February 4, the day before the multi-state "Super Tuesday" primaries.[20] The wheel series "Mystery Movie" was discontinued in 2008 as the channel was doing better with lighter romances.[21] Reporting on Hallmark Channel's 2009 upfronts, The New York Observer noted that the channel had built a brand on formulaic romantic movies, explaining that "while other media companies were thrashing around in a tumultuous, confusing sea of unpredictability, the Hallmark Channel was thriving with the television equivalent of comfort food."[22]

Bill Abbott era, Martha Stewart agreement edit

In May 2009, William J. "Bill" Abbott—who had previously held an advertising sales role—succeeded Henry Schleiff as president of Hallmark Channel. Abbott planned to retool its programming to appeal to younger viewers without alienating its core audience of baby boomers, aiming for Hallmark Channel to become "a destination for lighter fare, for comedies and quality programming", and for its programming to be "true" to the Hallmark brand.[23] In a 2019 interview, Abbott explained of these goals that "you should turn on our channel and almost feel like you’re walking into a [Hallmark Gold Crown] store."[24] The channel also began to experiment with abbreviated commercial breaks featuring one 30-second advertisement, with these slots costing twice the amount of a normal 30-second slot.[23]

Later that year, Hallmark Channel held the inaugural "Countdown to Christmas"—a seasonal programming event featuring four original holiday film premieres, and a Movie Night with Hoops & Yoyo block on Friday nights—the first cross-promotional campaign between Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Cards.[24][25]

In January 2010, Hallmark Channel announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), under which first-run episodes of The Martha Stewart Show would move from syndication to Hallmark Channel beginning that September,[26] and MSLO would produce a series of primetime specials for the channel (which would begin with specials focused on Halloween and Christmas).[27] It was reported that Abbott had sought to reposition Hallmark Channel as a lifestyle-oriented channel to compete with the Scripps Networks Interactive channels, and shift its television films exclusively to Hallmark Movie Channel to appeal to younger demographics.[26]

On March 16, 2010, Hallmark Channel also acquired rights to MSLO library content, announcing a daily daytime block (lasting for seven hours on weekdays, and a shorter block on weekends) of these programs beginning March 26.[28] Crown Media and MSLO were also reportedly exploring the formation of a lifestyle cable network as a joint venture, tentatively named "Hallmark Home".[26] In June 2010, the channel ordered several additional MSLO-produced series to accompany Martha, including Mad Hungry with Lucinda and Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer.[27]

Due to low viewership, Hallmark shortened the Martha Stewart block by two hours in October 2010.[29] At least 500 hours of new original programming was slated for the 2011–12 season, including 25 original movies, 160 hours of MSLO programming (including new series Emeril's Table, and additional Martha Presents specials), and a series in development with poet Maya Angelou.[30] In addition, Hallmark Hall of Fame productions would air on Hallmark Channel a week after their television premieres on ABC.[31]

In January 2012, Martha was cancelled by Hallmark Channel due to its high production costs, with production ending after the conclusion of its then-current season. Hallmark Channel was still in discussions over the fate of its other MSLO-produced programming.[32] During its upfronts for the 2012–13 season, Hallmark Channel announced the new daytime talk shows Home & Family and Marie! with Marie Osmond, as well as a slate of original movies that would include pilots for adaptations of the novels Cedar Cove and When Calls the Heart.[33] In October 2012, ahead of the January 2013 premiere of its pilot movie, Cedar Cove was given a series order as Hallmark Channel's first original primetime program.[34] When Calls the Heart was also picked up as a series in 2013,[35] while Marie! was canceled after one season.[36]

On March 15, 2013, the channel introduced a new family-oriented Friday night movie block, Walden Family Theater, in partnership with Walden Media and others.[37] In April 2014, the channel launched a TV Everywhere video on-demand service, "Hallmark Channel Everywhere", which offers a streaming selection of Hallmark Channel films and series for subscribers on participating television providers.[38] At some point before July 2021, the name of the app was changed to "Hallmark TV".[39]

Focus on seasonal programming edit

In the 2014–15 season, Hallmark Hall of Fame premieres moved exclusively to Hallmark Channel, with up to four new films scheduled per-year.[40][41] Two new series, Good Witch and Signed, Sealed, Delivered, were picked up for the 2014–15 season.[42] In February 2015, Hallmark Channel held an inaugural "Countdown to Valentine's" event to build off the success of Countdown to Christmas, featuring four movie premieres.[42]

In 2015, Mariah Carey directed and starred in a Christmas movie for Hallmark. She also hosted Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas, which was the channel's most-viewed show. Thus in May 2016, Carey signed a three-film deal for her to develop, executive-produce, direct, co-star, and write an original song for three movies with one for "Countdown to Valentine's Day".[43] The channel's first "Winterfest" seasonal programming was in January 2016.[44] At its March 2016 upfronts, Hallmark Channel executives revealed that they planned to divide their programming into themed seasons year-round, to build upon the success of Countdown to Christmas and other franchises.[45]

On October 20, 2016, Hallmark Channel and the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel were added to the Sling TV service. On November 15, 2017, PlayStation Vue added Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama to its lineup.[46]

In October 2017, Hallmark Channel launched a new, over-the-top subscription service known as Hallmark Movies Now, which features new and existing original content from the network.[47] In October 2018, the three Hallmark linear channels were added to streaming service Philo.

In November 2017, the channel beat all four major broadcast networks in the ratings one night with its Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, The Christmas Train.[48] In March 2019, Hallmark announced it had dropped Lori Loughlin from future company projects due to her role in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal.[49]

In December 2019, the channel stopped airing advertisements for the online wedding registry Zola.com that included two brides kissing each other, because of complaints that it was lesbians kissing and promoted same-sex marriages. A main complainant was One Million Moms, a division of the socially conservative American Family Association, which has been described as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Similar advertisements with heterosexual couples kissing were not pulled.[50] As a result, social media users called for a boycott of the channel,[51] while competitors like Netflix and the Disney-owned Freeform cable channel responded by touting their LGBTQ inclusivity.[52] On December 15, Hallmark reversed its decision and said it would reinstate the advertisements and work with GLAAD, an LGBTQ media monitoring organization, to create more inclusive programming.[53] The series finale of Good Witch, which aired in July 2021, featured the first lesbian kiss in a Hallmark production.[54][55]

Abbott quietly and abruptly stepped down as president of Hallmark Channel in February 2020;[56] the following year, a group led by Abbott acquired the Southern lifestyle channel Great American Country (GAC) from Discovery, Inc. to relaunch it as a direct competitor to Hallmark, Great American Family. The channel has emulated the programming strategies that were mounted by Hallmark Channel under Abbott, and has also leveraged talent who had been associated with the channel's original productions.[57][58]

On October 31, 2022, Hallmark announced a distribution agreement with NBCUniversal, under which live and on-demand programming from its networks would be available to Peacock subscribers.[59][60]

Programming edit

Main article: List of programs broadcast by Hallmark Channel

Hallmark Channel's programming consists of original dramas and made-for-TV movies, and syndicated reruns of sitcoms. It also airs the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series.[31]

Despite largely being an apolitical brand, Hallmark Channel has garnered a following among politically conservative viewers in suburban and rural areas who, according to Manhattan Institute for Policy Research's Steven Malanga in a Los Angeles Times op-ed, feel the network and its original programming feed their desire to "express traditional family values and also to steer away from political themes and stories that denigrate religion."[61][62]

Original movies edit

Main article: List of Hallmark Channel Original Movies

The network's made-for-TV movies are characterized as family-friendly and inspirational, ranging from holiday-themed films to westerns. In the early stages of the channel's development, Hallmark Channel had a steady one-movie-a-month, or 12-a-year, production schedule with the films mainly being produced by RHI Entertainment. However, in 2008, Crown Media had ramped up its production schedule to approximately 30 movies a year and opened up two other production companies, though RHI still produces some movies for Hallmark Channel.[63] The network premiered 35 original movies during the period from 2009 to 2010,[64] with production ramping up further in the years that followed.[24]

Hallmark original movies were budgeted at $2.2 million in 2007. Hallmark does not pay the full cost of films, thus they are often deficit-financed by their producers.[19] Many of Hallmark Channel's productions are produced in Canada, using local talent and filming locations (including a preference towards location shoots instead of sound stages) to reduce production costs.[24][65] A number of actors and actresses have become known for frequent appearances in Hallmark Channel movies.[66]

The New Yorker felt that the often-formulaic structure of Hallmark's films contributed to their popularity, describing them as usually featuring "independent women with interesting jobs", "appealing romantic prospects", and often being set in towns where residents "care for one another, run viable small businesses, and compete in gingerbread bake-offs—America as we might wish it were, and as some believe it once was."[24]

Series edit

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame: Originally only an encore or library home for the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology film series, the series moved its original showings to the channel in 2014.[40]
  • Mystery Movie (also Hallmark Channel Mystery Wheel):[21] The channel began a Sunday night mystery movie wheel series called Mystery Movie in 2004.[67] This wheel series consisted of four individual movie series of four films that would also be later shown on Hallmark Movie Channel.[67] Two of the film series were Mystery Woman and Jane Doe. A successor series, Original Mystery Wheel, was established in 2015 on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.[21]
  • Walden Family Theater (2013) On March 15, 2013, the channel started its family friendly Friday night movie series, Walden Family Theater in partnership with Walden Media, Arc Entertainment, Procter & Gamble and Walmart. P&G and Walmart were sponsoring partners with Walmart selling the movies DVD in store the Tuesday after airing, while Arc and Walden were producing partners. The first movie was the world premiere of Return to Nim's Island, one of six new films produced for the series. Space Warriors was shown later in the premier season, with additional films drawn from Hallmark's library of films.[37] The series' second season was launched on September 6, 2013, with the premiere of the film, Dear Dumb Diary based upon the Scholastic book, with the Civil Rights era drama The Watsons Go to Birmingham premiering next.[68]

Seasonal programming edit

Hallmark Channel is known for scheduling themed programming around major holidays such as Christmas, Mother's Day, and Valentine's Day—including new original movies relevant to said holiday. With the introduction of its "Countdown to Christmas" branding in 2009, the channel gradually expanded the number of seasonal programming events it holds. By 2016, the network had divided its schedule into themed "seasons" year-round, with original programming aligned with these themes. Crown Media's then-CEO Bill Abbott explained that this strategy allowed the network to be positioned as "a year-round destination for celebrations", which need not depend on a single series or franchise to bolster its viewership. This programming strategy also creates synergies with Hallmark Cards.[69][45][70]

  • "New Year New Movies!" is broadcast in January; it features movies with a winter theme, but not necessarily tied to the Christmas and holiday season (as with Countdown to Christmas).[71] The event was previously known as "Winterfest" from 2016 to 2020.[44]
  • "Loveuary", formerly "Countdown To Valentine's Day" (2015–2019) and "Love Ever After" (2020–2021), is broadcast in February. In 2015, the event was 15 days long with four original movie premieres.[42]
  • "Spring into Love",[72] formerly "Spring Fling" and "Spring Fever", is broadcast in March and April.[73]
  • "Countdown to Summer" was a one time event with 5 movies in May 2020.
  • "Summer Nights" (2016–present) is broadcast June through August. In 2017, Summer Nights movies were only shown in August. In 2018 and 2019, Summer Nights movies were shown in July and August. In 2020, there were only three Summer Nights movies in August to go along with the five Countdown to Summer movies in May. In 2021, Summer Nights movies were split up into 2 parts, with the first part being all in June, then taking over a month break, with the second part starting the last week of July, going through all of August, and ending the first week of September.
  • "June Weddings"[73] (2017–2019) was broadcast in June. It was on hiatus on Hallmark Channel starting in 2020, and made its return in 2023.[74]
  • "Fall Harvest" (2015–present) airs during September and most of October, primarily airing autumn-themed movies (sometimes relating to Halloween).[75][45] In 2016 and 2019, Fall Harvest movies only aired in October.
  • "Five Nights Stuffed Full of Original Holiday Movies" (2015–present), which airs near Thanksgiving.[76]

Countdown to Christmas edit

From the last weekend in October until January 1, Hallmark Channel runs an event known as the Countdown to Christmas, where the network's schedule is devoted to a mix of holiday movies, specials and holiday-themed original programming.[70] The block is branded as Countdown to New Years from December 26 until January 1 and culminates with the channel's broadcast of the Tournament of Roses Parade. Actresses frequently featured in the channel's Christmas films have been promoted as the "Queens of Christmas", including Rachel Boston, Candace Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert,[77] Erin Krakow, Kellie Martin, Danica McKellar, Autumn Reeser and Alicia Witt.[66] Hallmark's "Christmas TV ratings system" has designations like "F for Family" and "J for Joy".[78]

The event was introduced in 2009, featuring four original movie premieres.[24][25] Countdown to Christmas has featured cross-promotion of Hallmark Cards, including having featured the characters of Hoops & Yoyo in promotions, and airing Jingle All the Way—a half-hour animated Christmas special featuring the character of Jingle the Husky Pup—in 2011, which marked the first Hallmark Channel original production to be a collaboration with a Hallmark Cards property.[79][30] By 2013, the event featured 12 new movies.[70]

Since 2012, the network has held a Christmas in July event with airings of past Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, which is used to promote Hallmark Cards' collectibles for the upcoming season. In 2013, the event included holiday tips from the cast of Home & Family. In 2014, the event added a theatrical movie premiere.[80] By 2015, the event included one new original movie.[81]

In 2014, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Cards collaborated for the first time on a movie, Northpole, which was shown during Countdown to Christmas.[82] The 2014 movie Christmas Under Wraps, starring Candace Cameron Bure, became the highest-rated premiere in Hallmark Channel history, with 5.8 million viewers;[83] the success prompted Hallmark Channel to further increase its production of original movies.[24] During the 2017 holiday season, Hallmark Channel premiered 33 original Christmas holiday films, up from a total of 28 holiday movies in 2016. As of 2017, Hallmark had a total of 136 Christmas holiday-themed movies in their original library of films.[84] That year, it introduced the Christmas in Evergreen franchise, which was based on a Hallmark greeting card line.[24]

For 2018, a satellite radio companion to the event was carried on Sirius XM—"Hallmark Channel Radio"—which carried Christmas music hosted by Hallmark Channel talent (such as Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert), and behind-the-scenes features relating to Countdown to Christmas programming.[85] In honor of the franchise's 10th anniversary, Countdown to Christmas movies aired on Friday nights throughout 2019,[86] and a "Hallmark Channel Christmas Con" was held in Edison, New Jersey in November 2019, featuring appearances by Hallmark Channel talent.[87]

Animal special franchise edit

With the success of the Dog Hero Awards, the channel started a franchise out of the show with additional shows that counter programming major sporting events. Beyond the Dog Hero Awards and the Kitten Bowl, the channel has Paw-Star Game, on during MLB's All-Star Game, and Summer Kitten Games countering in its first showing the Rio Olympics.[88] On February 2, 2014, the Hallmark Channel partnered with New York's North Shore Animal League and Last Hope Animal Rescue to debut the Kitten Bowl during Super Bowl XLVIII. The event – hosted by Beth Stern and announcers John Sterling and Mary Carillo – is designed as counterprogramming to the Super Bowl and airs during the game's halftime show, and is similar to another animal-themed event that debuted nine years earlier on Animal Planet, the Puppy Bowl. Kitten Bowl II returned on February 1, 2015, and was watched by 1.3 million viewers.[89] A new Kitten Bowl has aired every year since,[90] running repeatedly on Super Bowl Sunday in a three-hour program that includes "playoff games".[91][92] In 2019 Hallmark added Cat Bowl, which premiered on Super Bowl weekend.[93] The eighth and last edition of the Kitten Bowl aired in 2021, as Hallmark canceled it in 2022.[94]

Content standards edit

The Hallmark Channel has been criticized for editing its programming to remove what its Standards and Practices department considers offensive words. After the word "God" was muted in April 2014 from the film It Could Happen to You, in what is described as an attempt "to avoid taking His name in vain", the practice backfired when viewers interpreted the muting as evidence of hatred for God.[95][96] Blogger Donna Cavanagh criticized the channel's content policies in July 2011, describing them as "censorship at its worst", with removal of profanities or epithets such as "ass" and "hooker". In response to Cavanagh's inquiry, a representative of the network wrote:[97]

Crown Media Networks is committed to family friendly programming. Our Standards & Practices ("S&P" — the things that are or are not acceptable for a particular network) are very conservative. There are words and phrases commonly used on other cable channels and broadcast networks that Hallmark Channel's S&P guidelines deem unacceptable.

Cavanagh accused the network of hypocrisy in deeming such material as being objectionable according to the network's standards, while continuing to acquire off-network sitcoms such as Frasier and The Golden Girls, which often feature sexual content including references to promiscuity.[97] Others have recommended the channel's late night programming, while noting that the word removal from these programs "puts a mild damper on the fun."[98]

International versions edit

Main article: Hallmark Channel (international)

Hallmark Channel operated several cable channels in various international markets; they were sold in 2005 to Sparrowhawk Media, which was in turn acquired by Universal Networks International in 2007.[99]

Universal's licensing agreement ended in July 2011; the networks were either shut down, or rebranded under another NBC Universal-owned brand (such as Diva Universal, Studio Universal, 13th Street Universal or Universal Channel).[100] In the United Kingdom, the Hallmark Original Movies originally shown on the channel are now shown on Movies 24, a sister to the Hallmark Channel.[101]

On October 25, 2018, Corus Entertainment announced that W Network would become the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of Hallmark Channel original series and films beginning November 1. The agreement includes branded blocks of Hallmark Channel programming, and airings of seasonal events such as Countdown to Christmas (which launched the agreement).[102][103][104]

See also edit

References edit

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  3. ^ Bcozkiewicz, Robert E. (August 2, 1988). "New TV Network May Crowd the Market". Christianity Today. 32 (12): 55–56. ISSN 0009-5753.
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  22. ^ "Hallmark TV Chief Henry Schleiff On His Network's Programming: 'It's Very Formulaic. That's Our Brand'". Observer. March 25, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
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External links edit

  • Official website

December 02, 2023
hallmark, channel, this, article, about, american, channel, former, channels, outside, international, odyssey, network, redirects, here, canadian, greek, language, network, odyssey, television, network, other, uses, odyssey, disambiguation, american, cable, te. This article is about the American TV channel For the former channels outside of the U S see Hallmark Channel international Odyssey Network redirects here For the Canadian Greek language network see Odyssey Television Network For other uses see Odyssey disambiguation Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards The channel broadcasts family oriented general entertainment programming including television series and made for TV movies Hallmark ChannelCountryUnited StatesBroadcast areaNationwideHeadquartersStudio City CaliforniaProgrammingLanguage s EnglishSpanishPicture format1080i HDTV downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed OwnershipOwnerHallmark MediaSister channelsHallmark Movies amp MysteriesHallmark DramaHistoryLaunchedSeptember 1992 31 years ago 1992 09 ReplacedAmerican Christian Television System 1984 1992 Vision Interfaith Satellite Network 1988 1992 Former namesVISN ACTS 1992 1993 Faith amp Values Channel 1993 1996 Odyssey Network 1996 2001 LinksWebsitewww wbr hallmarkchannel wbr comAvailabilityStreaming mediaService s Frndly TV fuboTV Peacock Philo Sling TV Hulu Live TV Vidgo YouTube TVThe channel has its origins in the religious broadcasters American Christian Television System ACTS and the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network VISN The two services timeshared on a single satellite signal which was later rebranded as The Faith amp Values Channel in 1993 After Liberty Media acquired a 49 stake in the channel in 1996 it relaunched as the Odyssey Network As Odyssey the channel gradually phased out religious programming in favor of family oriented films and television series a pivot that intensified after Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company acquired major stakes in the channel in 1998 In 2001 after a corporate reorganization Odyssey rebranded as Hallmark Channel By the 2010s Hallmark Channel had established a focus on made for TV movies particularly romance films and comedies themed around specific seasons and holidays throughout the year The strategy sought to create synergies with Hallmark s core greeting card business and build upon the strength of the Countdown to Christmas programming event it first introduced in 2009 As of February 2015 update Hallmark Channel was available to approximately 85 439 000 pay television households 73 4 of households with television in the United States 1 Contents 1 History 1 1 Odyssey Network 1 2 Hallmark Channel 1 3 Bill Abbott era Martha Stewart agreement 1 4 Focus on seasonal programming 2 Programming 2 1 Original movies 2 1 1 Series 2 2 Seasonal programming 2 2 1 Countdown to Christmas 2 3 Animal special franchise 2 4 Content standards 3 International versions 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistory editMain articles Vision Interfaith Satellite Network and American Christian Television System The Hallmark Channel traces its history to the launch of two separate religious cable channels the American Christian Television System ACTS and the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network VISN The two networks began alternating time on a shared transponder slot on the Galaxy III satellite in 1992 2 Under the original timeshare agreement the network was branded as VISN ACTS Each network was provided time for its programming blocks and would use their own logos VISN launched on July 1 1988 and was founded by the National Interfaith Cable Coalition NICC in cooperation with several cable providers 3 The coalition s membership consisted of 65 different religious groups 4 It aired for about 16 hours a day and ran religious programs from mainline Protestant denominations such as the United Methodist Church the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ In addition Roman Catholic The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints Jewish and Islamic faiths also provided some programming 5 VISN aired during the morning and evening hours ACTS commenced operations in 1984 and was owned by the Southern Baptist Convention It aired programming from evangelical and fundamentalist non charismatic Christian groups such as the SBC the Christian Reformed Church and the Association of Regular Baptist Churches as well as well known evangelists such as Jerry Falwell Charles Stanley and D James Kennedy Both channels aired several hours a week of religious children s programs some of which overlapped including Sunshine Factory Joy Junction Davey and Goliath and Jot In 1993 VISN ACTS was relaunched as the Faith amp Values Channel it began adding a few secular programs during this time including news information and lifestyle programming 6 Odyssey Network edit In 1995 cable conglomerate Tele Communications Inc s Liberty Media acquired a 49 ownership stake in the Faith amp Values Channel and took over operational control of the network It added more secular programming to the network and reduced religious programming to about 10 hours a day In 1996 the network was rebranded as the Odyssey Network although on air promotions often referred to the network simply as Odyssey and launched a website Odysseyfamily com which was used to provide program listings for the network nbsp Logo as Odyssey Network from 1996 to 2001In 1997 channel CEO Gary Hill died The Teaching of Christ The Daily Mass and A Biblical Portrait of Marriage were regular religious programs on the channel Wholesome off network series on the channel were Brooklyn Bridge and Trapper John M D as well as the Davey and Goliath claymation kids show The channel produced shows under the Odyssey Productions name The channel had a variety show hosted by gospel singer CeCe Winans called CeCe s Place and launched Landmarks of Faith on July 1 1998 4 Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company bought significant stakes paid partly through programming commitments in Odyssey in late 1998 Liberty had convinced Hallmark not to launch its own domestic channel given difficulty getting carriage The NICC and Hallmark Henson would have equal shares while Liberty would increase its stake while the three groups would share control of the board Hallmark and Henson would have say over chief executive selection While adding Henson s and Hallmark s libraries the channel could not make major programming format changes so cable systems could not drop them 4 Hallmark hired former Fox Kids Network worldwide vice chairman Margaret Loesch that year to overhaul Odyssey into a family channel 7 Under the new ownership structure Odyssey underwent a major programming revamp on April 4 1999 the revamp decreased the amount of religious programs on the network down to an average of four hours a day although more hours were religious on the weekend The channel began to focus more on family targeted entertainment programming including classic sitcoms and variety series such as ALF and The Muppet Show children s programs such as The Archie Show Fraggle Rock and Zoobilee Zoo and family oriented films and miniseries such as the cable broadcast premiere of Hallmark and Henson s 1996 adaptation of Gulliver s Travels The afternoon block Leonard Maltin Presents featured films from the RHI Entertainment owned Hal Roach Studios library while Wednesday nights featured classic Hallmark Hall of Fame productions 8 Loesch explained that the three owners shared a commitment to quality programming and raising the bar on television and that the channel was being programmed in a direction reminiscent of television in the 1950s and 1960s where broadcasters really had quite broad fare but you never had to ask anyone to leave the room like your children 8 Hallmark Channel edit In 2000 Odyssey s ownership group was re organized as Crown Media Holdings with Hallmark Chase Equity Associates Liberty Media and the NICC transferring their shares in Odyssey to the company There were plans for the company to go public Hallmark received all of Crown Media s class B shares which were worth ten votes each thus giving it control of Crown Media 9 After The Jim Henson Company was sold to German company EM TV amp Merchandising in February 2000 it sold its remaining stake in Odyssey the following month in exchange for 8 of Crown Media s stock 9 10 In March 2001 Crown Media announced that Odyssey would rebrand as Hallmark Channel on August 6 taking advantage of the better known Hallmark brand to encourage wider carriage Loesch commented that some viewers had mistaken Odyssey as being a travel or science fiction channel rather than family entertainment and that Hallmark Channel s main goal would be telling great stories 11 12 Crown Media negotiated with the NICC to reduce the amount of religious programming Hallmark Channel would air to 14 hours per week as well as allow for less overtly religious programs with broader spiritual themes and help fund and distribute a digital cable network for the NICC 12 13 The channel s launch programming included the miniseries The Infinite Worlds of H G Wells a new slate of original movies and acquired programming such as Tales from the Neverending Story 11 nbsp Hallmark Channel s headquarters in Studio City CaliforniaIn 2002 the Hallmark Channel premiered a weekday morning talk show New Morning 14 A Sunday morning version hosted by Naomi Judd titled Naomi s New Morning debuted in 2005 15 and lasted two years before being pulled from the schedule in early 2007 In 2004 the network launched a sister channel Hallmark Movie Channel 16 Hallmark Channels in international markets were sold for about 242 million in 2005 to Sparrowhawk Media a private equity group backed by Providence Equity Partners and 3i 17 The channel in 2005 had its highest rated year with 34 increase in viewers being ranked seventh in growth and the highest rated movie on a basic cable network Meet the Santas 18 With the expiration of RHI Entertainment s exclusive contract with Hallmark Channel Larry Levinson Productions became the channel s sole producer In 2007 additional producers were added as suppliers as the channel increased the number of original films by 50 from 20 in 2007 to 30 in 2008 19 In January 2008 the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign purchased an hour of Hallmark Channel s primetime slots under a paid programming arrangement to run a town hall special promoting Clinton s campaign for President of the United States on February 4 the day before the multi state Super Tuesday primaries 20 The wheel series Mystery Movie was discontinued in 2008 as the channel was doing better with lighter romances 21 Reporting on Hallmark Channel s 2009 upfronts The New York Observer noted that the channel had built a brand on formulaic romantic movies explaining that while other media companies were thrashing around in a tumultuous confusing sea of unpredictability the Hallmark Channel was thriving with the television equivalent of comfort food 22 Bill Abbott era Martha Stewart agreement edit In May 2009 William J Bill Abbott who had previously held an advertising sales role succeeded Henry Schleiff as president of Hallmark Channel Abbott planned to retool its programming to appeal to younger viewers without alienating its core audience of baby boomers aiming for Hallmark Channel to become a destination for lighter fare for comedies and quality programming and for its programming to be true to the Hallmark brand 23 In a 2019 interview Abbott explained of these goals that you should turn on our channel and almost feel like you re walking into a Hallmark Gold Crown store 24 The channel also began to experiment with abbreviated commercial breaks featuring one 30 second advertisement with these slots costing twice the amount of a normal 30 second slot 23 Later that year Hallmark Channel held the inaugural Countdown to Christmas a seasonal programming event featuring four original holiday film premieres and a Movie Night with Hoops amp Yoyo block on Friday nights the first cross promotional campaign between Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Cards 24 25 In January 2010 Hallmark Channel announced a multi year strategic partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia MSLO under which first run episodes of The Martha Stewart Show would move from syndication to Hallmark Channel beginning that September 26 and MSLO would produce a series of primetime specials for the channel which would begin with specials focused on Halloween and Christmas 27 It was reported that Abbott had sought to reposition Hallmark Channel as a lifestyle oriented channel to compete with the Scripps Networks Interactive channels and shift its television films exclusively to Hallmark Movie Channel to appeal to younger demographics 26 On March 16 2010 Hallmark Channel also acquired rights to MSLO library content announcing a daily daytime block lasting for seven hours on weekdays and a shorter block on weekends of these programs beginning March 26 28 Crown Media and MSLO were also reportedly exploring the formation of a lifestyle cable network as a joint venture tentatively named Hallmark Home 26 In June 2010 the channel ordered several additional MSLO produced series to accompany Martha including Mad Hungry with Lucinda and Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer 27 Due to low viewership Hallmark shortened the Martha Stewart block by two hours in October 2010 29 At least 500 hours of new original programming was slated for the 2011 12 season including 25 original movies 160 hours of MSLO programming including new series Emeril s Table and additional Martha Presents specials and a series in development with poet Maya Angelou 30 In addition Hallmark Hall of Fame productions would air on Hallmark Channel a week after their television premieres on ABC 31 In January 2012 Martha was cancelled by Hallmark Channel due to its high production costs with production ending after the conclusion of its then current season Hallmark Channel was still in discussions over the fate of its other MSLO produced programming 32 During its upfronts for the 2012 13 season Hallmark Channel announced the new daytime talk shows Home amp Family and Marie with Marie Osmond as well as a slate of original movies that would include pilots for adaptations of the novels Cedar Cove and When Calls the Heart 33 In October 2012 ahead of the January 2013 premiere of its pilot movie Cedar Cove was given a series order as Hallmark Channel s first original primetime program 34 When Calls the Heart was also picked up as a series in 2013 35 while Marie was canceled after one season 36 On March 15 2013 the channel introduced a new family oriented Friday night movie block Walden Family Theater in partnership with Walden Media and others 37 In April 2014 the channel launched a TV Everywhere video on demand service Hallmark Channel Everywhere which offers a streaming selection of Hallmark Channel films and series for subscribers on participating television providers 38 At some point before July 2021 the name of the app was changed to Hallmark TV 39 Focus on seasonal programming edit In the 2014 15 season Hallmark Hall of Fame premieres moved exclusively to Hallmark Channel with up to four new films scheduled per year 40 41 Two new series Good Witch and Signed Sealed Delivered were picked up for the 2014 15 season 42 In February 2015 Hallmark Channel held an inaugural Countdown to Valentine s event to build off the success of Countdown to Christmas featuring four movie premieres 42 In 2015 Mariah Carey directed and starred in a Christmas movie for Hallmark She also hosted Mariah Carey s Merriest Christmas which was the channel s most viewed show Thus in May 2016 Carey signed a three film deal for her to develop executive produce direct co star and write an original song for three movies with one for Countdown to Valentine s Day 43 The channel s first Winterfest seasonal programming was in January 2016 44 At its March 2016 upfronts Hallmark Channel executives revealed that they planned to divide their programming into themed seasons year round to build upon the success of Countdown to Christmas and other franchises 45 On October 20 2016 Hallmark Channel and the Hallmark Movies amp Mysteries channel were added to the Sling TV service On November 15 2017 PlayStation Vue added Hallmark Channel Hallmark Movies amp Mysteries and Hallmark Drama to its lineup 46 In October 2017 Hallmark Channel launched a new over the top subscription service known as Hallmark Movies Now which features new and existing original content from the network 47 In October 2018 the three Hallmark linear channels were added to streaming service Philo In November 2017 the channel beat all four major broadcast networks in the ratings one night with its Hallmark Hall of Fame movie The Christmas Train 48 In March 2019 Hallmark announced it had dropped Lori Loughlin from future company projects due to her role in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal 49 In December 2019 the channel stopped airing advertisements for the online wedding registry Zola com that included two brides kissing each other because of complaints that it was lesbians kissing and promoted same sex marriages A main complainant was One Million Moms a division of the socially conservative American Family Association which has been described as an anti LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center Similar advertisements with heterosexual couples kissing were not pulled 50 As a result social media users called for a boycott of the channel 51 while competitors like Netflix and the Disney owned Freeform cable channel responded by touting their LGBTQ inclusivity 52 On December 15 Hallmark reversed its decision and said it would reinstate the advertisements and work with GLAAD an LGBTQ media monitoring organization to create more inclusive programming 53 The series finale of Good Witch which aired in July 2021 featured the first lesbian kiss in a Hallmark production 54 55 Abbott quietly and abruptly stepped down as president of Hallmark Channel in February 2020 56 the following year a group led by Abbott acquired the Southern lifestyle channel Great American Country GAC from Discovery Inc to relaunch it as a direct competitor to Hallmark Great American Family The channel has emulated the programming strategies that were mounted by Hallmark Channel under Abbott and has also leveraged talent who had been associated with the channel s original productions 57 58 On October 31 2022 Hallmark announced a distribution agreement with NBCUniversal under which live and on demand programming from its networks would be available to Peacock subscribers 59 60 Programming editMain article List of programs broadcast by Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel s programming consists of original dramas and made for TV movies and syndicated reruns of sitcoms It also airs the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series 31 Despite largely being an apolitical brand Hallmark Channel has garnered a following among politically conservative viewers in suburban and rural areas who according to Manhattan Institute for Policy Research s Steven Malanga in a Los Angeles Times op ed feel the network and its original programming feed their desire to express traditional family values and also to steer away from political themes and stories that denigrate religion 61 62 Original movies edit Main article List of Hallmark Channel Original Movies The network s made for TV movies are characterized as family friendly and inspirational ranging from holiday themed films to westerns In the early stages of the channel s development Hallmark Channel had a steady one movie a month or 12 a year production schedule with the films mainly being produced by RHI Entertainment However in 2008 Crown Media had ramped up its production schedule to approximately 30 movies a year and opened up two other production companies though RHI still produces some movies for Hallmark Channel 63 The network premiered 35 original movies during the period from 2009 to 2010 64 with production ramping up further in the years that followed 24 Hallmark original movies were budgeted at 2 2 million in 2007 Hallmark does not pay the full cost of films thus they are often deficit financed by their producers 19 Many of Hallmark Channel s productions are produced in Canada using local talent and filming locations including a preference towards location shoots instead of sound stages to reduce production costs 24 65 A number of actors and actresses have become known for frequent appearances in Hallmark Channel movies 66 The New Yorker felt that the often formulaic structure of Hallmark s films contributed to their popularity describing them as usually featuring independent women with interesting jobs appealing romantic prospects and often being set in towns where residents care for one another run viable small businesses and compete in gingerbread bake offs America as we might wish it were and as some believe it once was 24 Series edit Hallmark Hall of Fame Originally only an encore or library home for the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology film series the series moved its original showings to the channel in 2014 40 Mystery Movie also Hallmark Channel Mystery Wheel 21 The channel began a Sunday night mystery movie wheel series called Mystery Movie in 2004 67 This wheel series consisted of four individual movie series of four films that would also be later shown on Hallmark Movie Channel 67 Two of the film series were Mystery Woman and Jane Doe A successor series Original Mystery Wheel was established in 2015 on the Hallmark Movies amp Mysteries channel 21 Walden Family Theater 2013 On March 15 2013 the channel started its family friendly Friday night movie series Walden Family Theater in partnership with Walden Media Arc Entertainment Procter amp Gamble and Walmart P amp G and Walmart were sponsoring partners with Walmart selling the movies DVD in store the Tuesday after airing while Arc and Walden were producing partners The first movie was the world premiere of Return to Nim s Island one of six new films produced for the series Space Warriors was shown later in the premier season with additional films drawn from Hallmark s library of films 37 The series second season was launched on September 6 2013 with the premiere of the film Dear Dumb Diary based upon the Scholastic book with the Civil Rights era drama The Watsons Go to Birmingham premiering next 68 Seasonal programming edit Hallmark Channel is known for scheduling themed programming around major holidays such as Christmas Mother s Day and Valentine s Day including new original movies relevant to said holiday With the introduction of its Countdown to Christmas branding in 2009 the channel gradually expanded the number of seasonal programming events it holds By 2016 the network had divided its schedule into themed seasons year round with original programming aligned with these themes Crown Media s then CEO Bill Abbott explained that this strategy allowed the network to be positioned as a year round destination for celebrations which need not depend on a single series or franchise to bolster its viewership This programming strategy also creates synergies with Hallmark Cards 69 45 70 New Year New Movies is broadcast in January it features movies with a winter theme but not necessarily tied to the Christmas and holiday season as with Countdown to Christmas 71 The event was previously known as Winterfest from 2016 to 2020 44 Loveuary formerly Countdown To Valentine s Day 2015 2019 and Love Ever After 2020 2021 is broadcast in February In 2015 the event was 15 days long with four original movie premieres 42 Spring into Love 72 formerly Spring Fling and Spring Fever is broadcast in March and April 73 Countdown to Summer was a one time event with 5 movies in May 2020 Summer Nights 2016 present is broadcast June through August In 2017 Summer Nights movies were only shown in August In 2018 and 2019 Summer Nights movies were shown in July and August In 2020 there were only three Summer Nights movies in August to go along with the five Countdown to Summer movies in May In 2021 Summer Nights movies were split up into 2 parts with the first part being all in June then taking over a month break with the second part starting the last week of July going through all of August and ending the first week of September June Weddings 73 2017 2019 was broadcast in June It was on hiatus on Hallmark Channel starting in 2020 and made its return in 2023 74 Fall Harvest 2015 present airs during September and most of October primarily airing autumn themed movies sometimes relating to Halloween 75 45 In 2016 and 2019 Fall Harvest movies only aired in October Five Nights Stuffed Full of Original Holiday Movies 2015 present which airs near Thanksgiving 76 Countdown to Christmas edit From the last weekend in October until January 1 Hallmark Channel runs an event known as the Countdown to Christmas where the network s schedule is devoted to a mix of holiday movies specials and holiday themed original programming 70 The block is branded as Countdown to New Years from December 26 until January 1 and culminates with the channel s broadcast of the Tournament of Roses Parade Actresses frequently featured in the channel s Christmas films have been promoted as the Queens of Christmas including Rachel Boston Candace Cameron Bure Lacey Chabert 77 Erin Krakow Kellie Martin Danica McKellar Autumn Reeser and Alicia Witt 66 Hallmark s Christmas TV ratings system has designations like F for Family and J for Joy 78 The event was introduced in 2009 featuring four original movie premieres 24 25 Countdown to Christmas has featured cross promotion of Hallmark Cards including having featured the characters of Hoops amp Yoyo in promotions and airing Jingle All the Way a half hour animated Christmas special featuring the character of Jingle the Husky Pup in 2011 which marked the first Hallmark Channel original production to be a collaboration with a Hallmark Cards property 79 30 By 2013 the event featured 12 new movies 70 Since 2012 the network has held a Christmas in July event with airings of past Hallmark Channel Christmas movies which is used to promote Hallmark Cards collectibles for the upcoming season In 2013 the event included holiday tips from the cast of Home amp Family In 2014 the event added a theatrical movie premiere 80 By 2015 the event included one new original movie 81 In 2014 Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Cards collaborated for the first time on a movie Northpole which was shown during Countdown to Christmas 82 The 2014 movie Christmas Under Wraps starring Candace Cameron Bure became the highest rated premiere in Hallmark Channel history with 5 8 million viewers 83 the success prompted Hallmark Channel to further increase its production of original movies 24 During the 2017 holiday season Hallmark Channel premiered 33 original Christmas holiday films up from a total of 28 holiday movies in 2016 As of 2017 Hallmark had a total of 136 Christmas holiday themed movies in their original library of films 84 That year it introduced the Christmas in Evergreen franchise which was based on a Hallmark greeting card line 24 For 2018 a satellite radio companion to the event was carried on Sirius XM Hallmark Channel Radio which carried Christmas music hosted by Hallmark Channel talent such as Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert and behind the scenes features relating to Countdown to Christmas programming 85 In honor of the franchise s 10th anniversary Countdown to Christmas movies aired on Friday nights throughout 2019 86 and a Hallmark Channel Christmas Con was held in Edison New Jersey in November 2019 featuring appearances by Hallmark Channel talent 87 Animal special franchise edit With the success of the Dog Hero Awards the channel started a franchise out of the show with additional shows that counter programming major sporting events Beyond the Dog Hero Awards and the Kitten Bowl the channel has Paw Star Game on during MLB s All Star Game and Summer Kitten Games countering in its first showing the Rio Olympics 88 On February 2 2014 the Hallmark Channel partnered with New York s North Shore Animal League and Last Hope Animal Rescue to debut the Kitten Bowl during Super Bowl XLVIII The event hosted by Beth Stern and announcers John Sterling and Mary Carillo is designed as counterprogramming to the Super Bowl and airs during the game s halftime show and is similar to another animal themed event that debuted nine years earlier on Animal Planet the Puppy Bowl Kitten Bowl II returned on February 1 2015 and was watched by 1 3 million viewers 89 A new Kitten Bowl has aired every year since 90 running repeatedly on Super Bowl Sunday in a three hour program that includes playoff games 91 92 In 2019 Hallmark added Cat Bowl which premiered on Super Bowl weekend 93 The eighth and last edition of the Kitten Bowl aired in 2021 as Hallmark canceled it in 2022 94 Content standards edit The Hallmark Channel has been criticized for editing its programming to remove what its Standards and Practices department considers offensive words After the word God was muted in April 2014 from the film It Could Happen to You in what is described as an attempt to avoid taking His name in vain the practice backfired when viewers interpreted the muting as evidence of hatred for God 95 96 Blogger Donna Cavanagh criticized the channel s content policies in July 2011 describing them as censorship at its worst with removal of profanities or epithets such as ass and hooker In response to Cavanagh s inquiry a representative of the network wrote 97 Crown Media Networks is committed to family friendly programming Our Standards amp Practices S amp P the things that are or are not acceptable for a particular network are very conservative There are words and phrases commonly used on other cable channels and broadcast networks that Hallmark Channel s S amp P guidelines deem unacceptable Cavanagh accused the network of hypocrisy in deeming such material as being objectionable according to the network s standards while continuing to acquire off network sitcoms such as Frasier and The Golden Girls which often feature sexual content including references to promiscuity 97 Others have recommended the channel s late night programming while noting that the word removal from these programs puts a mild damper on the fun 98 International versions editMain article Hallmark Channel international Hallmark Channel operated several cable channels in various international markets they were sold in 2005 to Sparrowhawk Media which was in turn acquired by Universal Networks International in 2007 99 Universal s licensing agreement ended in July 2011 the networks were either shut down or rebranded under another NBC Universal owned brand such as Diva Universal Studio Universal 13th Street Universal or Universal Channel 100 In the United Kingdom the Hallmark Original Movies originally shown on the channel are now shown on Movies 24 a sister to the Hallmark Channel 101 On October 25 2018 Corus Entertainment announced that W Network would become the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of Hallmark Channel original series and films beginning November 1 The agreement includes branded blocks of Hallmark Channel programming and airings of seasonal events such as Countdown to Christmas which launched the agreement 102 103 104 See also editList of Hallmark Hall of Fame episodesReferences edit Seidman Robert February 22 2015 List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015 TV by the Numbers Zap2it Archived from the original on March 21 2015 Retrieved March 14 2015 VISN ACTS Sign Agreement To Share Single Cable Signal Religious Broadcasting National Religious Broadcasters 24 9 32 October 1992 ISSN 0034 4079 Bcozkiewicz Robert E August 2 1988 New TV Network May Crowd the Market Christianity Today 32 12 55 56 ISSN 0009 5753 a b c Katz Richard June 29 1998 Hallmark into Odyssey Variety Archived from the original on January 10 2018 Retrieved January 9 2018 Calian Carnegie Samuel October 2 1995 Redeeming the wasteland Christian TV increasingly uses entertainment to spread its message Christianity Today 39 11 92 103 ISSN 0009 5753 VISN ACTS sees the light preps for Massive Relaunch Multichannel News 14 43 18 October 25 1993 ISSN 0276 8593 OCLC 7398798 History of Crown Media Holdings Inc International Directory of Company Histories Volume 45 St James Press 2002 Archived from the original on December 28 2017 Retrieved December 27 2017 via FundingUniverse a b Pierce Scott D April 4 1999 Hallmark Henson take on Odyssey Cable channel is being relaunched one more time Deseret News Archived from the original on January 10 2018 Retrieved January 10 2018 a b History of Crown Media Holdings Inc International Directory of Company Histories Volume 45 St James Press 2002 Archived from the original on December 28 2017 Retrieved December 27 2017 via FundingUniverse Kermit goes off the air Hallmark Modi Entertainment may launch family channel Indian Television Dot Com December 22 2002 Retrieved January 8 2018 a b Johnson Allan August 4 2001 All s Wells at Hallmark s new digs Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on January 25 2018 Retrieved January 23 2018 a b Flint Joe March 29 2001 Odyssey to Change Name To the Hallmark Channel Wall Street Journal Retrieved April 8 2023 Higgins John M April 2 2001 Odyssey to Hallmark Broadcasting Cable Retrieved April 8 2023 Waldron Clarence June 25 2007 Timberly Whitfield Host of Daily Show new Morning on Hallmark Channel Jet Vol 111 no 25 Johnson Publishing Company Archived from the original on August 3 2020 Retrieved January 8 2018 Interview With Naomi Judd CNN com January 8 2007 Archived from the original on October 6 2016 Retrieved January 8 2018 Dempsey John November 12 2003 Hallmark launches pic outlet Variety Archived from the original on January 24 2018 Retrieved January 23 2018 Haycock Gavin August 28 2007 NBC Universal agrees to buy Sparrowhawk Media Reuters Archived from the original on January 23 2010 Retrieved September 26 2008 Sims James July 14 2006 Milestone Hallmark Channel at 5 The Hollywood Reporter The Nielsen Company Associated Press Archived from the original on December 28 2017 Retrieved December 27 2017 a b Haugsted Linda July 13 2007 Hallmark Slates More Movies Multichannel Archived from the original on January 30 2018 Retrieved January 29 2018 Crupi Anthony January 31 2008 Clinton Buys Block on Hallmark Media Week Archived from the original on February 5 2008 Retrieved January 11 2018 a b c Another Cable Network Turns to Crime Ad Age Archived from the original on January 19 2018 Retrieved January 19 2018 Hallmark TV Chief Henry Schleiff On His Network s Programming It s Very Formulaic That s Our Brand Observer March 25 2009 Retrieved April 8 2023 a b Atkinson Claire June 20 2009 Hallmark Change Is in the Cards Broadcasting amp Cable Archived from the original on October 2 2012 Retrieved January 11 2018 a b c d e f g h Larson Sarah December 12 2019 How Hallmark Took Over Cable Television The New Yorker Retrieved April 3 2023 a b Eggerton John October 19 2009 Hallmark Channel Greeting Cards Get Together on Screen Broadcasting amp Cable NewBay Media LLC Archived from the original on January 25 2018 Retrieved January 23 2018 a b c Atkinson Claire March 29 2010 Hallmark Martha Stewart Exploring New Lifestyle Cable Channel Broadcasting amp Cable Archived from the original on January 9 2018 Retrieved January 8 2018 a b Andreeva Nellie June 7 2010 More Martha Stewart Produced Shows On The Hallmark Channel Deadline Retrieved April 3 2023 Liggayu Leneli March 16 2010 Hallmark Channel Acquires Rights to Content from MSLO Library Broadcasting amp Cable Archived from the original on January 9 2018 Retrieved January 8 2018 Szalai Georg October 11 2010 Martha Stewart block shortened at Hallmark Associated Press Retrieved April 3 2023 a b Szalai Georg March 23 2011 Maya Angelou Series to Air on Hallmark Channel The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved April 3 2023 a b Hallmark Hall Of Fame Finds Home At ABC Deadline Hollywood July 7 2011 Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 12 2018 Guthrie Marisa January 4 2012 Hallmark Cancels The Martha Stewart Show The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on January 9 2018 Retrieved January 8 2018 Guthrie Marisa March 14 2012 Upfronts 2012 Hallmark Channel Overhauls Daytime With Marie Osmond Talk Show The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 11 2018 Andreeva Nellie October 17 2012 Hallmark Channel Reaffirms Series Order To Cedar Cove Starring Andie MacDowell Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on March 13 2014 Retrieved January 11 2018 Team The Deadline June 12 2013 Hallmark Channel s When Calls The Heart Adds Cast Cedar Cove July Premiere Set Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on August 11 2017 Retrieved January 12 2018 Marechal AJ July 2 2013 Hallmark Channel Cancels Marie Osmond s Talkshow Chicago Tribune Variety Archived from the original on January 24 2018 Retrieved January 23 2018 a b Ng Philiana February 25 2013 Hallmark Channel Sets Family Movie Series The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 12 2018 Hallmark Channel Opens TV Everywhere Service Multichannel Archived from the original on November 15 2018 Retrieved November 15 2018 Frequently Asked Questions Hallmark TV Retrieved July 17 2021 a b Umstead R Thomas September 12 2014 Hallmark Hall Of Fame Films To Move To Hallmark Channel Multichannel News NewBay Media Archived from the original on April 1 2020 Retrieved January 3 2018 Stanhope Kate August 8 2016 Hallmark Channel at 15 Network Chiefs on Mariah Carey Martha Stewart and Biggest Misconceptions The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 12 2018 a b c Poggi Jeanine March 13 2014 Hallmark Channel Promises Two Weeks of Wall to Wall Valentine s Day Ad Age Crain Communications Archived from the original on February 15 2018 Retrieved February 14 2018 Robinson Will May 23 2016 Mariah Carey is making movies and music for the Hallmark Channel Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on February 15 2018 Retrieved February 15 2018 a b Hallmark Channel s First Ever Winterfest Programming Event is Ratings Hit Press release Crown Media Family Networks January 7 2016 Archived from the original on February 20 2018 Retrieved February 19 2018 via Broadway World a b c Buckman Adam March 31 2016 Hallmark Upfront Emphasizes Family Friendly Programming Focus On Holidays Media Daily News Archived from the original on February 21 2018 Retrieved February 20 2018 Bouma Luke November 15 2017 PlayStation Vue Adds The Hallmark Channel Hallmark Drama amp Hallmark Movies Cord Cutters News Archived from the original on December 15 2017 Retrieved December 15 2017 Umstead R Thomas October 2 2017 Hallmark Drama Channel Launches Into Headwinds for Linear Networks Multichannel Archived from the original on November 15 2018 Retrieved November 15 2018 Holmes Linda December 17 2017 Made For TV Christmas Movies Are Big Business For The Hallmark Channel Weekend Edition Sunday NPR org Archived from the original on February 18 2018 Retrieved February 17 2018 Arnowitz Leora March 14 2019 Lori Loughlin fired by Hallmark after admissions scandal Olivia Jade dropped by sponsors USA Today Retrieved March 15 2019 Murphy Heather December 13 2019 Hallmark Channel Pulls Zola Ads Featuring Brides Kissing The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on December 14 2019 Retrieved December 14 2019 Papenfuss Mary December 14 2019 Hallmark Yanks Same Sex Wedding Ads After Conservative Group Pushback Huffington Post Archived from the original on December 15 2019 Retrieved December 14 2019 Amid Hallmark Boycott Queer inclusive Freeform Tells Zola Call Us www advocate com December 15 2019 Archived from the original on December 15 2019 Retrieved December 15 2019 In reversal Hallmark will reinstate same sex marriage ads AP NEWS December 15 2019 Archived from the original on December 16 2019 Retrieved December 16 2019 Kelleher Patrick July 26 2021 Good Witch finale s heart stopping same sex kiss is history making for the Hallmark Channel Pink News Retrieved September 24 2021 Ermac Raffy July 27 2021 Hallmark Channel Finally Aired a History Making Same Sex Kiss Out com Retrieved September 24 2021 Mallenbaum Carly Hallmark Channel exec steps down without explanation one month after same sex ad flap USA Today Retrieved February 6 2020 Schwartz Ryan April 19 2022 Hallmark Vet Candace Cameron Bure Makes Move to GAC Family to Develop Family and Faith Filled Programming TVLine Retrieved April 22 2022 Goldsmith Jill June 7 2021 Discovery Sells Great American Country To Investor Group With Former Crown Media Chief Bill Abbott As CEO Deadline Hollywood Retrieved June 7 2021 Earl William October 31 2022 Peacock Pacts With Hallmark for Branded Streaming Hub Variety Retrieved November 12 2022 Rice Lynette October 31 2022 Peacock Will Start Streaming Hallmark Programming Deadline Retrieved November 12 2022 Malanga Steven January 9 2018 Hallmark channels competitive advantage Red state appeal Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on February 10 2018 Retrieved February 9 2018 Hill Samantha Rose December 22 2017 Why the Hallmark Channel Is Completely Dominating in 2017 Thrillist Archived from the original on February 10 2018 Retrieved February 9 2018 Hallmark Channel Press Release 7 12 2007 Archived from the original on April 27 2008 Retrieved November 10 2020 Hallmark Channel Increases Programming to 35 Original Movies for 09 10 Upfront Season Futon Critic Wong Tony April 4 2018 Canada is where Hallmark goes for wholesome Toronto Star Retrieved March 11 2019 via The Record a b Shields Mike October 28 2017 The Hallmark Channel is defying every trend in media by owning Christmas Business Insider Archived from the original on January 20 2018 Retrieved January 20 2018 a b Dempsey John January 9 2004 Hallmark wheels into Mystery Movie mode Variety Archived from the original on January 19 2018 Retrieved January 19 2018 Kennedy John W September 5 2013 As Walden Family Theater launches its new fall season on Hallmark with Dear Dumb Diary the brothers behind the brand preview what s ahead Faith Media amp Culture Beliefnet Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 12 2018 Stanhope Kate August 8 2016 Hallmark Channel at 15 8 Milestone Moments The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 12 2018 a b c Bricker Tierney October 28 2017 How The Hallmark Channel Came to Own Christmas Programming E Online Archived from the original on January 20 2018 Retrieved January 19 2018 Hallmark Channel s New Year New Movies Lineup is Here and It Looks So Amazing Country Living December 23 2020 Retrieved March 15 2023 Sen Sushmita March 17 2022 Hallmark April 2022 releases All about the list of movies scheduled for the month www sportskeeda com Retrieved March 19 2022 a b Yarborough Kaitlyn Everything You Need to Know About Hallmark Channel in 2018 Southern Living Time Inc Archived from the original on February 6 2018 Retrieved February 21 2018 Ng Philiana April 28 2023 Hallmark Sets June Weddings Lacey Chabert and Aurora Teagarden Films for June Entertainment Tonight Retrieved June 14 2023 Mattern Jessica Leigh September 29 2017 Hallmark s Newest Fall Movie Looks Incredible And It Premieres Tonight Country Living Archived from the original on February 21 2018 Retrieved February 20 2018 Gables Rick amp Christian November 23 2016 This Thanksgiving Hallmark Channel s Five Night Thanksgiving Movie Event is Back TV Weekly Now NTVB Media Archived from the original on February 21 2018 Retrieved February 21 2018 Turnquist Kristi October 20 2017 Here are all 22 Hallmark Channel 2017 Countdown to Christmas programs The Oregonian Archived from the original on January 20 2018 Retrieved January 19 2018 Lowry Brian November 26 2012 Networks XL Xmas season Chicago Tribune Tribune Publishing Variety Archived from the original on January 25 2018 Retrieved January 24 2018 Turnquist Kristi November 23 2011 Jingle All the Way Hallmark special comes from Portland s Bent Image Lab The Oregonian Archived from the original on January 24 2018 Retrieved January 24 2018 Bauder David July 2 2014 Christmas in July Hallmark channel will run holiday programming azcentral AP Retrieved January 20 2018 Eng Dinah November 27 2015 Meet the Woman Behind Hallmark s Christmas Movie Juggernaut Fortune Archived from the original on January 4 2018 Retrieved January 20 2018 Block Alex Ben March 13 2014 Hallmark Upfront 15 Original Movies New Series and the Return of the Kitten Bowl The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on January 31 2018 Retrieved January 30 2018 Christmas Under Wraps Ratings Break Hallmark Channel Records Deadline Hollywood Penske Business Media December 2 2014 Retrieved December 3 2017 Jurgensen John November 8 2017 How the Hallmark Channel Became a Christmas Movie Machine The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on November 10 2017 Retrieved November 10 2017 Umstead R Thomas October 23 2018 Hallmark Channel to Celebrate Holidays with Branded SiriusXM Channel Multichannel Archived from the original on November 15 2018 Retrieved November 14 2018 Hallmark orders first three Christmas movies of 2019 EW com Archived from the original on February 12 2019 Retrieved March 6 2019 Russell Suzanne Makin Cheryl November 9 2019 Hallmark Christmas Con Holiday comes early to Central Jersey with inaugural event Bridgewater Courier News Retrieved January 27 2020 Abramovitch Seth October 26 2015 Hallmark Channel Has Gone to the Hero Dogs The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved February 7 2022 SHOWBUZZDAILY s Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals amp Network Update 2 1 2015 Showbuzzdaily com Archived from the original on February 3 2015 Retrieved February 4 2015 Bernstein Dan February 3 2019 Kitten Bowl 2019 Time TV channel how to live stream cats not caring about sports Sporting News Archived from the original on February 15 2019 Retrieved February 14 2019 Chiari Mike February 3 2019 SKitten Bowl 2020 date time TV channel amp how to live stream athletic football cats Bleacher Report Archived from the original on January 31 2020 Retrieved January 31 2020 Heck Jordan January 31 2020 Kitten Bowl 2019 Recap MVP Highlights and Twitter Reaction Sporting News Archived from the original on January 31 2020 Retrieved January 31 2020 Bender Kelli January 29 2019 Kitten Bowl Is Coming Get an Exclusive Look at One of the Big Games More Relaxed Cat Stars People Archived from the original on February 15 2019 Retrieved February 14 2019 Schwartz Ryan February 7 2022 Kitten Bowl Cancelled at Hallmark Eyes New Home at GAC Family TVLine Retrieved February 7 2022 Szczerbiak Sorcha April 17 2014 The Hallmark Channel Offends Audience Members But Not For The Reason You Think Inquisitr Archived from the original on February 21 2018 Retrieved February 21 2018 Ohlheiser Abby April 17 2014 The Hallmark Channel Offended Christian Viewers by Not Taking the Lord s Name in Vain The Atlantic Archived from the original on February 21 2018 Retrieved February 21 2018 a b Cavanagh Donna July 10 2011 Bleepin Censorship on the Bleepin Hallmark Channel The Student Operated Press Archived from the original on February 21 2018 Retrieved February 21 2018 Hugar John August 21 2017 A Recommendation The Hallmark Channel s Late Night Lineup SplitSider Archived from the original on January 17 2018 Retrieved February 21 2018 Pfanner Eric August 31 2007 NBC Universal buys 18 Hallmark channels outside the U S International Herald Tribune Archived from the original on August 31 2007 Retrieved December 28 2017 Briel Robert June 3 2011 NBCUni stops Dutch Hallmark Channel Broadband TV News Archived from the original on December 28 2017 Retrieved December 28 2017 Movies 24 2006 Idents Archived from the original on July 4 2020 Retrieved July 4 2020 Hallmark Channel to Make Canadian Debut with W Network TVCanada Worldscreen October 26 2018 Archived from the original on November 14 2018 Retrieved November 14 2018 Hallmark Channel heads to Canada C21 Media Archived from the original on April 7 2019 Retrieved November 13 2018 The Hallmark Channel gets derided for its family friendly fare but its ratings are growing Toronto Star Archived from the original on November 5 2018 Retrieved November 14 2018 External links editOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hallmark Channel amp oldid 1183239800, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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