About Us - Hallmark Channel Cable Television Network

January 9, 2012	Hallmark Movie Channel marks 45 million subscribers
December 11, 2011	Hallmark Movie Channel delivered its highest week ever, averaging a .3 HH rating with 149,000 homes during the week of Dec 5-11, 2011
November 27, 2011	Hallmark Channel delivered its highest day ever - averaging a 1.5 HH rating with 1,290,000 homes
November 27, 2011	Hallmark Channel delivered its highest weekend ever – Sat 11/26-Sun 11/27 - averaging a 1.4 HH rating with 1,249,000 homes
November 11, 2011	Hallmark Channel premieres first annual “American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards”, hosted by Emmy-winning TV personality, Carson Kressley, and featuring such celebrity presenters and judges as Betty White, Peter Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Jillian Michaels, Faith Ford, Jason Lewis, Michael Vartan, Joey Lawrence, and many more. Top honors were given – posthumously – to Roselle, a guide dog for the blind who helped her owner, Michael Hingson, down from the 78th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower on September 11, 2001.
October 1, 2011	Hallmark Channel tapes the first annual “American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards” in front of a live audience in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hilton. The program recognizes eight extraordinary dogs, chosen from thousands of nominees, who have made life-changing and life-saving contributions to peoples’ lives.
July 11, 2011	Crown Media Holdings Inc. Announces New Name and Branding for Unit Housing Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel – Crown Media Family Networks
July 7, 2011	Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie Series Moves to ABC, with Encore Cable Debuts on Hallmark Channel
June 1, 2011	The Table is Set: Production Begins on Hallmark Channel's New Series Starring Chef Emeril Lagasse, "Emeril's Table"
May 31, 2011	Hallmark Channel Partners with American Humane Association on Hero Dog Awards, a National Search for America’s Most Remarkable Dogs. Televised Special to Air on Hallmark Channel November 11, 2011
April 18, 2011	Hallmark Channel’s Facebook Page Surpasses 500, 000 Fans
March 22, 2011	Hallmark Channel Launches Facebook App “Inside the Mind of Dr. Frasier Crane”
February 28, 2011	Hallmark Movie Channel reaches 40 Million Subscribers
February 1, 2011	Hallmark Movie Channel continues its resounding success and growth with its first original premiere of 2011, “Goodnight For Justice,” earning a 1.5 HH rating, the highest rated premiere in the network’s history.
December 29, 2010	Hallmark Channel continues as the robust leader in holiday programming among all ad-supported cable networks, with the premiere of 12 new Hallmark Channel Original Holiday Movies which reached over 20 million viewers during the holiday season, and the success of its “Countdown to Holiday” programming (which delivered 63 million unduplicated viewers).
December 6, 2010	Hallmark Channel announces the launch of The Ultimate Holiday App, the most comprehensive holiday guide and gift book application now available at the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad users.
December 1, 2010	Hallmark Channel has record breaking Thanksgiving with four of the top ten rated movies on ad supported cable.
October 26, 2010	Hallmark Channels launches record number of original movies, specials and themed series episodes making the network “The Biggest Holiday Destination in Television.”
September 7, 2010	Hallmark Channel announces the launch of “Hallmark Channel Home” – a new daytime franchise airing September 13 from 10 a.m. ET/PT to 6 p.m. The franchise provides a new destination for lifestyle programming beginning with the highly-touted launch of the sixth season of the Emmy® Award-winning “The Martha Stewart Show” exclusively on Hallmark Channel.
August 18, 2010	As part of a strategic repositioning effort, Hallmark Channel announces a multi-tiered marketing initiative that will debut timed to the launch of “The Martha Stewart Show” on September 13th. The robust campaign, the largest in the network’s history, marks a new daytime direction for the channel which is anchored by the sixth season of the Emmy® Award-winning daytime show
May 18, 2010	Hallmark Channel and Best Friends Animal Society announce a new partnership to help raise awareness of the issue of homeless pets in conjunction with Hallmark Channels’ premiere of the original movie You Lucky Dog.
May 3, 2010	To help celebrate Mother’s Day and to allow civilians and military families alike to pay tribute to mom, Hallmark Channel sets up a ground-breaking VWall on a tab of its Facebook page. It features multimedia user-generated content along with content provided by the network.
May 3, 2010	Hallmark Channel announced they will honor a musical icon, Dolly Parton, and celebrate the silver anniversary of one of the country’s most popular theme parks when it exclusively televises the Hallmark Channel Original Special, “Dolly Celebrates 25 Years of Dollywood,” Friday, July 3.
March 4, 2010	The International Family Film Festival (IFFF) honors Hallmark Channel with the 3rd annual IFFF Film Excellence Award for its “consistently high standards, production qualities and excellence of storytelling in the family genre of cinematic arts.”
January 26, 2010	Hallmark Channel announces a multi-year strategic partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., to exclusively televise original episodes of the Emmy™ Award-winning, popular daytime home and lifestyle series “The Martha Stewart Show” on Hallmark Channel beginning September 2010.
January 5, 2010	Hallmark Channel, the leader in holiday programming with more than 450 hours of holiday-themed programs, delivers its highest-rated month in network history with a 1.5 HH Prime Time rating in December 2009, earning a #5 ranking among all ad-supported cable networks.
October 19, 2009	Hallmark Movie Channel secures distribution in the top 30 television markets throughout the United States. Hallmark Movie Channel, sibling network to Hallmark Channel, now has distribution to 25 million households. The growth represents an increase of more than 100 percent over one year ago, making it one of the fastest-growing emerging cable channels.
October 19, 2009	Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Cards jointly announces a special night of programming entitled “Movie Night with hoops&yoyo,” the first-ever synergistic creative on-air programming and marketing endeavor between the world-renowned card company and the Hallmark Channel cable television network.
September 17, 2009	Hallmark Channel announces plans to present coverage of the country’s most popular New Year’s Day event, “The 121st Rose Parade,” on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010.
June 15, 2009	Hallmark Channel introduces a new commercial format, “Fast Break,” featuring shorter commercial breaks exclusively sponsored by a single client.
June 1, 2009	William J. Abbott named President and Chief Executive Officer of Crown Media Holdings, Inc., owner and operator of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.
February 14, 2009	Hallmark Channel’s original holiday movie, “The Christmas Choir,” wins the MOVIEGUIDE® Epiphany award for most inspiring TV program of 2008.
January 29, 2009	Hallmark Channel develops an online movie shop featuring DVD movies and movie-related products from its film library via the Amazon Associates Program.
January 28, 2009	Hallmark Channel adds more than 1,000 games to its consumer website through a new partnership with Big Fish Games and Videojax.
December 30, 2008	Hallmark Channel closes 2008 as its best year ever, ranking #8 in Prime Time for the full year.
December 10, 2008	Hallmark Channel becomes the first cable network to combine Nielsen’s TV, Retailer and product usage ratings via a licensing agreement of the NielsenConnections Brand Target Audience products.
December 3, 2008	Hallmark Channel and Google announce a strategic agreement to offer advertisers access to high-quality, family-friendly programming through the Google TV Ads program.
October 23, 2008	Hallmark Channel acquires the rights to 80 family-friendly movies from Twentieth Television, including a host of Academy® Award-winning films with timeless appeal across all generations.
October 7, 2008	Hallmark Channel and the Parents Television Council award Wal-Mart the second annual “The Crown Award” for responsible advertising.
September 25, 2008	Crown Media renews its distribution agreement with Charter Communications for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.
June 23, 2008	Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel today announced it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Cox Communications for the right to distribute the High Definition version of Hallmark Movie Channel.
May 20, 2008	Starcom and Hallmark Channel announces the first official deal of the ’08-’09 Upfront season. The multi-million dollar deal includes multiple clients across the agency and features a multi-platform promotion, “Every Day is a Holiday,” which includes on-air and online presence. This partnership allows the agency’s clients to choose a specific time of year important to their brands and products in order to break through the clutter with customized packages that include vignettes.
May 3, 2008	Hallmark Channel is awarded a CAMIE Awards for the network’s commitment to wholesome programming as well as its original movie, “The Note,” starring Genie Francis.
April 29, 2008	Crown Media renews its distribution agreement for Hallmark Channel with Cablevision Systems. Under the terms of the new deal, Cablevision Systems will also have the right to distribute both the Standard Definition and High Definition versions of Hallmark Movie Channel.
April 2, 2008	Hallmark Movie Channel in HD launches with a celebratory event in Peoria, Ill., to answer the age-old question, “Will it play in Peoria?”
March 26, 2008	Hallmark Channel acquires the rights to 99 family-friendly movies, as well as one of the most popular baby boomer series, “The Golden Girls,” from Disney-ABC Domestic Television. The movies will play on both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.
March 26, 2008	Hallmark Channel commissions a study from Millward Brown which reports that baby boomers are more engaged with linear television and less likely to change the channel or multi-task while watching television. The study also found that boomers have more spending power and 50% of boomers don’t stick to any one brand – good news for advertisers looking to attract new customers.
March 5, 2008	Crown Media renews its distribution agreement for Hallmark Channel with DIRECTV, Inc., for a multi-year term. DIRECTV currently distributes Hallmark Channel to nearly 15 million homes. Additionally, DIRECTV will have the right to distribute the Standard Definition and High Definition versions of Hallmark Movie Channel.
February 21, 2008	Crown Media renews its distribution agreement for Hallmark Channel with Time Warner Cable for a multi-year term. Under the new deal, Time Warner Cable, which provides Hallmark Channel to 12 million homes, will have the right to continue its distribution of Hallmark Channel as well as the opportunity for distribution of both the Standard Definition and High Definition versions of Hallmark Movie Channel.
January 15, 2008	Hallmark Channel and Limbo, the world’s largest mobile entertainment community, team up to create and launch the cable network’s first-ever mobile interactive initiative.
November 29, 2007	Crown Media, owner and operator of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel, renews its distribution agreement with Comcast Corporation, the nation’s largest cable distributor, for a multi-year term. Under the new deal, Comcast systems will have the right to distribute Hallmark Channel and both the standard and high definition versions of Hallmark Movie Channel.
November 28, 2007	Hallmark Channel completed a major deal with CBS Television Distribution to acquire several award-winning series, including the critically acclaimed “7th Heaven,” the ever popular “Cheers” and classic baby boomer favorite, “I Love Lucy,” along with additional episodes of “Matlock” and “Touched By An Angel.”
October 29, 2007	Hallmark Channel streams its award-winning original series, “Adoption,” on its website, www.hallmarkchannel.com, marking the first time the family-friendly network has scheduled a full-length program online. It also marks a shift in marketing strategy as the network, best known for its appeal and popularity with baby boomers, targets younger viewers.
August 28, 2007	Hallmark Channel is now available in 85 million homes, an increase of 9.894 million homes year-to-date making it the third-highest increase among all measured networks.
August 8, 2007	Crown Media announces it will launch Hallmark Movie Channel in HD in the first quarter of 2008. The high definition service is a response to the growing demand for family-friendly programming in a technologically advanced format.
May 29, 2007	Hallmark Channel acquires “Murder, She Wrote” series from NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.
May 16, 2007	Hallmark Channel and the Parents Television Council award Procter & Gamble the first-ever “Crown Award” recognizing leadership, integrity and responsibility in advertising.
May 2, 2007	Crown Media renews multi-year distribution agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC).
May 1, 2007	Hallmark Channel surpasses the 80 million subscriber mark and is now available in over 82 million U.S. homes.
March 27, 2007	Hallmark Channel launches “Watch With Me,” a new national public affairs initiative aimed to stimulate family co-viewing and promote people to spend more time together. The multi-platform initiative will live on-air, on-line, in-schools and in-markets.
March 27, 2007	Hallmark Channel commissions a study from Yankelovich which reveals that 88% of respondents feel there has been a significant increase in the number of television shows with sexual, violent, crude or obscene content over the last five years and 68% of parents think that there are not enough shows for parents and children to watch together. As a result, more viewers are seeking programming to watch with others in their family.
March 8, 2007	Crown Media announces a multi-year agreement with EchoStar that provides for the continued distribution of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel on EchoStar’s DISH Network™. Beginning in April, Hallmark Channel will be distributed to more than 80 million subscribers.
March 1, 2007	Hallmark Channel introduces a new on-air look with the new tagline “Make Yourself at Home,” reinforcing the network’s reputation as a destination for high-quality, family programming where viewers can get comfortable and tune-in for great stories.
February 7, 2007	Crown Media Holdings, Inc. and Mediacom Communications Corporation renew a multi-year distribution agreement allowing Hallmark Channel to continue to be available to over one million Mediacom customers.
December 20, 2006	Hallmark Channel launches on Comcast Cable throughout the New England area and Boston.
December 2, 2006	The original holiday movie premiere “The Christmas Card” out delivers Penguins to score an overwhelming 4.2 HH rating, making it the network’s new highest-ever-rated telecast.
November 25, 2006	The U.S. television premiere of “March of the Penguins” ranks as the network’s highest-ever-rated telecast with a 4.1 HH rating.
October 5, 2006	Crown Media Holdings, Inc. agrees to sell the domestic rights to its film library to RHI Enterprises, LLC. The sale includes all rights in the United States to the over 600 award-winning television movies, mini-series and series in the Crown Media library.
October 4, 2006	Henry S. Schleiff named President and Chief Executive Officer of Crown Media Holdings, Inc., owner and operator of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.
August 28, 2006	Hallmark Channel reaches 75 million subscribers.
August 5, 2006	Hallmark Channel celebrates its 5th anniversary and continues to rank as the most successful cable network launch in history.
June 5, 2006	Hallmark Channel announces its largest-ever movie acquisition from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. The 39-picture package features many award-winning titles, including the network television premiere of the Academy Award®-winning documentary “March of the Penguins,” “Troy,” “Miss Congeniality,” “The In-Laws,” “Hearts In Atlantis,” “Kangaroo Jack,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “New York Minute,” “Felicity: An American Girl Adventure” and “Samantha: An American Girl Holiday.”
October 17, 2005	Hallmark Channel reaches 70 million subscribers and continues to be the fastest-growing network since its launch (Aug ‘01-Aug ‘05). The channel’s distribution has grown by nearly 50 million subscribers, including both new launches and the conversion of part-time to full-time subscriber homes.
August 17, 2005	Hallmark Channel beats the broadcast networks to premiere the first-ever U.S. televised biopic of the late Pope John Paul II. The four-hour movie event, “A Man Who Became Pope,” scores the network’s highest-ever weekday Prime Time delivery (1,050,000) at the time of air.
August 1, 2005	Hallmark Channel’s Sponsorship Solutions Unit signs Kraft Foods as the exclusive sponsor of nine original movie entitlements during the 2005/2006 season, the most of any of the channel’s advertisers. Entitled movies feature a reduced commercial load (4 minutes down from 12) and have a higher length of tune than other original cable movies.
January 7, 2005	Hallmark Channel premieres first installment of the “Hallmark Channel Mystery Movie” franchises, one of the channel’s most ambitious original programming initiatives to date. The slate consists of three Mystery Movie franchises, “Mystery Woman,” starring Kellie Martin, “McBride,” starring John Larroquette and “Jane Doe,” starring Lea Thompson.
December 8, 2004	Hallmark Channel reaches 65 million subscribers.
December 2, 2004	Hallmark Channel ranks in the Top 10 for both Total Day and Prime Time for the first time in network history.
July 7, 2004	Hallmark Channel acquires “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
June 1, 2004	Hallmark Channel breaks the 60 million subscriber mark. With 1.7 million new subscribers, the network ranks #1 in pure month-to-month subscriber growth among all ad-supported cable networks.
January 20, 2004	Hallmark Channel launches its Sponsorship Solutions Unit, a new area within the National Advertising Sales department, which focuses on integrating advertisers’ brands with that of the network’s in its acclaimed original movies.
November 11, 2003	Crown Media announces the test launch of a second 24-hour network, Hallmark Movie Channel, a digital network which airs original Hallmark Channel movies, Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations and films from the Crown Media library.
November 5, 2003	Hallmark Channel secures key nationwide distribution agreement with Comcast. The network now has substantial carriage agreements with all major MSOs.
October 15, 2003	Hallmark Channel and Comcast reach large-scale carriage agreement that opens the door to additional distribution opportunities and launches throughout Comcast affiliates.
July 29, 2003	Hallmark Channel announces the acquisition of several renowned series, including “Matlock,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “The Lone Ranger” and MAS*H, television’s most-watched show of all time.
June 9, 2003	Hallmark Channel's parent, Crown Media Holdings, Inc., signs agreement with iN DEMAND under which Crown Media provides content for broadcast in high definition on iN DEMAND’s HD networks.
December 2, 2002	Hallmark Channel and Time Warner Cable complete a far-reaching agreement that markedly increases Time Warner Cable’s existing carriage commitment of the channel.
November 4, 2002	Hallmark Channel signs pivotal nationwide launch agreement with Adelphia Communications.
October 14, 2002	Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Gold Crown® stores partner for the “Hallmark Keepsake Sweepstakes,” launching the largest retail-basic cable marketing promotion ever.
September 1, 2002	Hallmark Channel and Cable ONE announce agreement to add channel to premium digital offerings in 25 markets.
August 19, 2002	Tom Berenger, Luke Perry and Burt Reynolds wrangle cattle through Times Square. The “Johnson County War” stunt marks the largest marketing campaign to date for a Hallmark Channel original movie.
August 5, 2002	Hallmark Channel celebrates its 1st anniversary and becomes the most successful launch in cable history adding over 14 million subscribers and making it the fastest-growing cable network in that time frame.
March 13, 2002	Hallmark Channel announces the production of 24 exclusive original movies from RHI Entertainment, LLC.
October 15, 2001	Hallmark Channel secures large-scale distribution agreement with Charter Communications.
August 5, 2001	Hallmark Channel launches; the network is repositioned on DirecTV resulting in an immediate increase of over 7 million subscribers.
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