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Hallmark's COUNTDOWN TO HOLIDAY PREVIEW WEEKEND Earns Record Ratings

Reinforcing its position as the leading cable destination for holiday programming, Hallmark Channel garnered record ratings for its COUNTDOWN TO HOLIDAY PREVIEW WEEKEND(Friday, November 2nd, 8p through Sunday, November 4th, 12m) with 14.1 million unduplicated viewers tuning in for the network's holiday fare, including the original premieres of "Christmas Song" and "Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade".

The weekend prime time performance saw a year-to-year increase of +10% in households and +19% in women 25-54 compared to the same weekend in 2011. In prime time for the weekend (Sat-Sun, 8-11p), Hallmark Channel ranked as the #2 cable network in households rating and delivery. The Saturday, November 3rd premiere of "Christmas Song" scored a 2.2 household rating and the Sunday, November 4th premiere of "Love At The Thanksgiving Day Parade" garnered a 2.1 household rating, making "Christmas Song" Hallmark Channel's highest rated original movie of the year among households, women 25-54, adults 25-54, and total viewers while "Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade" becomes Hallmark Channel's 2nd highest rated original movie of the year among households and #3 movie among women 25-54.

The Saturday 8-10p premiere of "Christmas Song" was the #1 rated ad-supported cable movie of the week among women 25-54. In the time period, the movie was also #1 in ratings for households (2.2 rtg), women 25-54 (1.1 rtg), adults 25-54 (.7 rtg), and total viewers (1.1 rtg). In addition, "Christmas Song" was #1 in impressions for household (1,914,000) and total viewer delivery (2,414,000), and #2 in W25-54 impressions (497,000). "Christmas Song" elevated Hallmark Channel to be the #1 rated cable network in prime time for the day among households and women 25-54 (2.1 HH rtg, 1.1 W25-54 rtg) and the #1 rated cable network for the entire day among women 25-54 (.6 HH rtg).

The highest rated ad-supported cable movie of the day and the #4 movie of the week among women 25-54, "Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade" ranked #3 in household ratings (2.1 rtg) for the Sunday 8-10p time period. The film lifted Hallmark channel to be the #2 rated cable network for the entire day among women 25-54 (.7 HH rtg) as well as the #3 rated cable network in prime time for the day among household (1.9 HH rtg).

In "Christmas Song", two music teachers Diana Deason (Henstridge) and Ken Stoddard (Hogan) are forced to compete for a single music department position by entering in a televised Christmas song competition when budget cuts force the merger of two rival New York City high schools. The success of either group will determine the fate of the music department and will determine who will get the job as the school's only music director. As the musical teams duke out their differences at the competition and in the school halls, sparks begin to fly between Diana and Ken; romantic and otherwise. Confused by these sentiments, Diana is forced to reevaluate her priorities and choose what is really worth fighting for. Stars Natasha Henstridge ("The Whole Nine Yards," "The Secret Circle") and Gabriel Hogan ("Heartland").

Two former arch enemies, each desperate to put on the best Thanksgiving Day Parade in the history of Chicago, throw caution to the wind and fall in love before the last brightly festooned float rounds the corner in "Love At the Thanksgiving Day Parade". Chicago native Emily Jones (Reeser) loves her city, and has dedicated her career to coordinating its beloved Thanksgiving Day parade every year. This year, Emily is hoping for a memorable holiday and is anticipating a long-awaited proposal from her long-distance boyfriend Brian (Cotton). When the parade director hires wealthy development consultant, Henry Williams (Cupo), to analyze the finances of the parade and increase profits, Emily immediately writing Henry off as a privileged playboy. As Thanksgiving draws nearer, will Emily be able to confess her true feelings and end the feud, while still putting on the parade of her dreams? Stars Autumn Reeser ("No Ordinary Family"), Antonio Cupo ("Bomb Girls"), and Ben Cotton ("Hellcats").

Source: The Nielsen Company, October 29 - November 4, 2012

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.