Hallmark Channel Acquires Three CBS Shows

Hallmark Channel, which pitches itself as cable's family-friendly destination, struck a deal with CBS for three shows definitely in its comfort zone: Seventh Heaven, Cheers and every boomer's favorite redhead (OK, after Tina Louise), I Love Lucy.

The deal also includes additional episodes of Matlock and Touched by an Angel.

Seventh Heaven will be the first to hit the air, perhaps by January. Cheers will launch later in the year, with I Love Lucy, one of the most-aired TV shows ever, getting yet one more TV home starting in January 2009.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.