HALLMARK CHANNEL ACQUIRES 80 PICTURES FROM TWENTIETH TELEVISION
Deal Includes Such Films as "Big," "Cocoon," "Edward Scissorhands," "Garfield," "Home Alone," "Ice Age," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "My Cousin Vinny," "Speed," "Waitress" and "Working Girl"
Hallmark Channel has acquired the rights to 80 family-friendly movies from Twentieth Television, including a host of Academy Award-winning films with timeless appeal across all generations. The deal was announced today by Bob Cook, President and COO, Twentieth Television and Michelle Vicary, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Scheduling, Hallmark Channel.
In making the announcement Cook stated: "We are thrilled that the Hallmark Channel and the Hallmark Movie Channel will have a chance to showcase this beloved collection of films from our vaults."
The newly acquired movies will play on Hallmark Channel and on its sibling channel, Hallmark Movie Channel � a new 24-hour channel which airs the greatest family movies of all time. The list of films includes "Big," "Cheaper by the Dozen," "Cocoon," "Doctor Doolittle," "Edward Scissorhands," "Garfield," "Home Alone," "Ice Age," "The Man From Snowy River," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "My Cousin Vinny," "Speed," "Waitress," "Working Girl" and, additionally, the world television premiere of "Young at Heart."
Vicary added: "We are thrilled to announce this big deal which is another major step in our growth. We have consistently been a Top 10-rated network. Moving forward, this will help us expand our programming library, increase ratings and lower our demos. Most importantly, these movies are a perfect fit for the Hallmark family-friendly brand which will enable us to attract new advertisers and spur even further distribution for both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel."
Hallmark Channel is known for its success in programming a uniquely appealing mix of original movies, including the recent highly-rated movies "A Gunfighter's Pledge," starring Luke Perry and "Ladies of the House," starring Florence Henderson, Donna Mills and Pam Grier; "the very best" of family friendly theatrical feature films; and, such classic off-network series as "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Murder, She Wrote," "Little House on the Prairie" and "M*A*S*H."
About Twentieth Television
A leader in the U.S. program production and distribution arena, Twentieth Television provides a wide array of first-run, network and off-network programming, as well as feature film packages, to the syndication and cable marketplaces. First-run programs distributed by Twentieth Television include the talk show, "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet," and the court shows "Divorce Court," "Judge Alex" and Emmy� award-winning "Cristina's Court." Off-net shows distributed by Twentieth include "Family Guy," "24," "COPS," "The Simpsons," and the fall 2009 launch of "How I Met Your Mother."
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 to a national audience of over 85 million subscribers. The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,450 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel consistently ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Prime Time and Total Day household ratings and is the nation's leading network in providing quality family programming. Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel which plays the greatest family movies of all time, Hallmark Movie Channel, and launched Hallmark Movie Channel HD in April, 2008. For more information, please visit www.hallmarkchannelpress.com.
Hallmark Movie Channel, the second linear channel from Crown Media Holdings, simulcast in SD (Standard Definition) and HD (High Definition), is a 24-hour cable network dedicated to bringing viewers the greatest family movies of all time with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events. In today's crowded television landscape, the network is a unique and captivating entertainment experience, providing programming that families can watch together. For more information on Hallmark Movie Channel, please visit www.hallmarkmoviechannel.com
|