Hallmark Channel Owns The Holidays With Record Ratings

PRESS RELEASE: Hallmark Channel Owns The Holidays With Record Ratings For Its 12 New Original Movies Reaching 22.9 Million Unduplicated Viewers

The Hallmark Channel spins the numbers for its holiday movies to date.

[via press release from The Hallmark Channel]

HALLMARK CHANNEL OWNS THE HOLIDAYS WITH RECORD RATINGS FOR ITS 12 NEW ORIGINAL MOVIES REACHING 22.9 MILLION UNDUPLICATED VIEWERS

Final Two Original Movies Premiere as the #1 and #2 Movies of the Week

12 Original Holiday Movie Premieres Propel Network to Rank #1 Among HH, W25-54, and Total Viewers For Weekend Prime Time

Bringing holiday cheer to 22.9 million unduplicated viewers, Hallmark Channel’s 12 original movies of Christmas, which anchor the network’s signature “Countdown to Christmas” franchise, have wrapped with its seventh consecutive week on top claiming the #1 movie of the week. The final two original holiday movies, “Finding Christmas” and “Hats Off to Christmas” were the #1 and #2 movies of the week, respectively. Since kicking off November 2, the 12 original premieres have averaged a 3.3 household rating, marking a 27% increase over last year, and propelling Hallmark Channel to rank #1 among households, women 25-54, and total viewer rating for weekend prime time (Sat-Sun, 8-11pm).

Eleven of the 12 Hallmark Channel original holiday movies placed among the top 10 basic cable programs of the week. In addition, for four consecutive weeks (November 4 – December 1), outside of sports programming and “The Walking Dead”, Hallmark Channel’s new original holiday premieres (below) have accounted for the top household-rated programs on all of cable during the weeks in which they premiered.

• “A Very Merry Mix Up” on November 10 (3.9 HH rating)

• “The Christmas Ornament” on November 16 (3.8 HH rating)

• “Window Wonderland” on November 23 (3.3 HH rating) (tied for the week with “Fir Crazy”)

• “Fir Crazy” on November 24 (3.3 HH rating) (tied for the week with “Window Wonderland)

• “Let it Snow” on November 30 (3.9 HH rating)

In primetime delivery, Hallmark Channel’s 2013 “Countdown to Christmas” has marked double digit growth compared to the same period last year (11/2-12/15/13 vs. 11/3-12/16/12) with a 21% increase in HH, 24% increase in W18-49, 11% increase in W25-54, 20% increase in A18-49, 11% increase in A25-54, and 23% increase in P2+ delivery.

Since launching at 8pm on November 1, Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” programming campaign has reached over 58.9 million unduplicated viewers!

The December 14 premiere of “Hats Off to Christmas” garnered a 3.2 household rating and reached nearly 5.1 million unduplicated viewers. The #1 cable program on Saturday, “Hats Off to Christmas” ranked #1 in HH (3.2 rtg), W25-54 (1.5 rtg), and P2+ (1.6 rtg) for the 8-10pm time period. In addition, the film placed #1 among HH (2,730,000) and P2+ (3,462,000) in demo delivery. Among W25-54 rating, “Hats Off to Christmas” ranked as the #1 program of the day. The Saturday night premiere elevated Hallmark Channel to be the top network among HH (1.8 rtg) and W25-54 (.9 rtg) for the entire day.

In “Hats Off to Christmas”, Haylie Duff stars as Mia, a young, widowed mother managing the Christmas hat shop in her small town. When her boss asks her to train his hotshot business consultant son Nick for an upper-management post she had wanted herself, Mia finds training him frustrating – until Nick takes an interest in Mia’s son Scotty. While she finds herself falling for Nick, and Nick decides if staying in the small town of Wilsonville is worth giving up the big-city perks he once had, Mia starts to wonder if Nick may be the Christmas miracle she has been waiting for. Stars Haylie Duff, Antonio Cupo, Sean Michael Kyer.

Attracting nearly 6.0 million unduplicated viewers, the Sunday night premiere of “Finding Christmas” scored a 3.4 household rating and was the #1 program of the day among household rating. The film delivered #1 in key demo ratings for HH (3.4 rtg) and P2+ (1.7 rtg) for the 8-10pm time period. In addition, the original movie placed #1 among HH (2,889,000) and P2+ (3,759,000) in key demo delivery. Among W25-54 rtg, “Finding Christmas” was the #1 movie of the week. The original holiday movie boosted Hallmark Channel to be the #1 cable network in HH (1.8 rtg) and W25-54 (.9 rtg) for the full day.

In “Finding Christmas”, four individuals who were a bit unlucky in love find sparks with the help of some Christmas magic. Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”) stars as Ryan, a single mother who finds Christmas romance when an online home exchange brings a new man into her life. Ryan has pretty much given up on men after her divorce but it all changes when her brother Owen swaps his home in their small North Carolina town with Sean, a New York City ad exec. Ryan feels an instant connection with Sean while sparks fly for Owen in his new digs with Sean’s assistant, Mia. When the home swap nears its end, the future for both of these new relationships is up in the air. Can these temporary holiday arrangements lead to long lasting love? Stars Tricia Helfer, JT Hodges, Mark Lutz, and Cristina Rosato.

Source: The Nielsen Company, December 9 – 15

ABOUT HALLMARK CHANNEL

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 88 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot. Hallmark Channel’s sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.

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