HALLMARK CHANNEL UPS THE STAKES IN HOLIDAY WITH THE LAUNCH OF COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS THANKSGIVING WEEK, FEATURING 5 CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS OF NEW ORIGINAL FILMS – A NETWORK FIRST

Hallmark Channel, the Heart of TV, is building on its annual signature holiday programming franchise with a brand new tradition – Countdown to Christmas Thanksgiving Week. This new tentpole initiative will feature an unprecedented five consecutive nights of new original holiday movie premieres from Wednesday, November 25th through Sunday, November 29th. In addition, beginning Monday, November 23rd, the network will celebrate the holiday with daily segments on the network’s Emmy® nominated daytime lifestyle series, Home & Family, and spotlight Thanksgiving-themed digital content – including recipes, entertaining tips, and more – on its websites and social platforms. The event significantly extends Hallmark Channel’s original holiday programming footprint and offers new opportunities for advertisers to reach consumers on both the network’s linear and digital platforms during the most trafficked retail week of the year. This announcement comes on the heels of the company’s record breaking ratings results in Fourth Quarter 2014, which positioned Hallmark Channel as the #1-rated cable network among households and women 25-54 for over 8 weeks.

“Hallmark Channel has long been an integral part of viewers’ holiday traditions and every year ratings and delivery for Countdown to Christmas grow exponentially,” said Ed Georger, EVP Advertising Sales, Crown Media Family Networks. “In expanding the initiative to includeCountdown to Christmas Thanksgiving Week, we are giving our loyal viewers more of the holiday fare they love, while creating new opportunities for our advertising partners to convey key marketing messages and reach their target audience during the most critical retail period of the year.”

For over a decade, Hallmark Channel has been the leading provider of quality family and holiday entertainment. Announcements about movie titles and talent are forthcoming.