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Hallmark Channel's Original Holiday Movies Draw Record Viewers

Hallmark Channel's Saturday night original holiday movies continue to draw record viewers, with the December 1st premiere of "A Bride for Christmas" drawing nearly 5.3 million unduplicated viewers, garnering a 3.0 household rating, and claiming the distinction as the #1 Saturday cable movie for the 5th consecutive week. In addition, the movie further built on the network's positive "Countdown to Christmas" momentum, ranking as the #1 cable program of the day and Hallmark Channel's #1 original movie of the year among households and total viewers.

Following up on this success, the Sunday, December 2nd premiere of original movie "The Christmas Heart" rated as the #2 cable movie of the day, with a 2.9 household rating and over 5.1 million unduplicated viewers. The #3 cable program of Sunday, "The Christmas Heart" now ranks as Hallmark Channel's 2nd highest original movie of the year among total viewers and 3rd highest rated original movie of the year among households.

Among Hallmark Channel's core demographic of women 25-54 rating, "A Bride for Christmas" was the #3 rated ad-supported cable movie of the day and the #4 telecast of Saturday. The film was also the #2 cable movie of the week among households. For the Saturday 8pm-10pm time period, "A Bride for Christmas" was the #1 cable television program in HH (3.0 HH rtg), #2 in W25-54 (1.6 rtg), and #2 in P2+ (1.6 rtg). In addition, "A Bride for Christmas" placed among the top 10 in household and key demo impressions, including #1 in HH (2,636,000) and #2 in P2+ (3,332,000). The original movie elevated Hallmark Channel to be the #1 rated cable network in prime time on Saturday among households (2.6 HH rtg) and the #2 rated cable network for the entire day among W25-54 (.8 HH rtg).

"The Christmas Heart" was the #3 movie of the week and for the Sunday, 8-10p time period ranked #2 in households (2.9 rating) and #3 in total viewers (1.5 rating). In the time period, the film delivered #3 in households (2,523,000) and #3 in P2+ (3,275,000) for household and key demo impressions. Among W25-54 rating, "The Christmas Heart" was the #4 rated ad-supported cable movie of Sunday, boosting Hallmark Channel to the #2 rated cable network for the entire day among W25-54. The film also lifted Hallmark Channel to the #2 cable network in primetime for the day among households (2.6 HH rtg).

Hallmark Channel original movie "A Bride for Christmas" stars Arielle Kebbel ("90210" "Life Unexpected") as a three-time bride-to-be who calls off her engagement right before the holidays, swearing off serious relationships until she finds "the one". That is, until charming but chronically single Aiden MacTiernan (Walker) comes along. Unbeknownst to Jessie, Aiden has bet his friends that he can convince a woman to marry him by Christmas - which is only four weeks away - and Jessie (Kebbel) is the target of his bet. Aiden surprises himself by falling for Jessie, too, leaving him to decide if he should call off the bet and go all out to truly pursue her. Film also stars Andrew W. Walker.

"The Christmas Heart", starring Teri Polo, Paul Essiembre, and Tess Harper and executive produced by Emmy-Award winning actress Patricia Heaton, tells the poignant story of a teenage boy, Matt Norman, who unexpectedly collapses on the basketball court and is found to have a congenital heart defect. Desperately in need of a heart transplant, the boy's parents Ann (Polo) and Mike (Essiembre) anxiously pray by his bedside, while his neighborhood cancels their 40-year tradition of lighting Christmas luminaries. A donor is found, leaving another mother (Tess Harper) in anguish at her own son's bedside. The Life Flight team quickly gets the heart airborne on Christmas Eve, fighting a winter storm and with no time to lose. As this race to save Matt's life unfolds, his neighbors decide to proceed with lighting the luminaries after all as a tribute to Matt and his family. Everyone is surprised to find their cherished neighborhood holiday custom turns out to be the miracle that saves Matt's life.

Source: The Nielsen Company, November 25 - December 2

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 nearly 87 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, Frasier, Little House on the Prairie, and The Waltons. The channel is also home to a diverse range of lifestyle programming, including the newly-launched Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot and Marie, a one-hour talk show hosted by iconic entertainer, Marie Osmond. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed HallMark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies, and special events.