COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS Propels Hallmark Channel to Weekend Win in Key Female Demo

The momentum continues for Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas" with its two recent original premieres propelling the network to rank #1 for the weekend among household rating and W25-54 rating for the second week in a row. The top holiday destination on television, Hallmark Channel follows last week's strong opening weekend with new originals "A Very Merry Mix Up" and "Snow Bride" placing as the #1 and #2 movies of the week, respectively. The past weekend also ranks as Hallmark Channel's top rated weekend in network history. The Saturday, November 9 debut of "Snow Bride" scored a 3.0 household rating, attracting nearly 5.0 million unduplicated total viewers. The Sunday, November 10 premiere of "A Very Merry Mix Up" marked record highs for Hallmark Channel, delivering a 3.9 household rating, and becoming the network's most watched telecast ever among household delivery as well as 2nd most watched program among total viewers.

"Over the past four years, Hallmark Chanel's new original 'Countdown to Christmas' movies have consistently broken ratings records and made the network number one in cable for weekend Primetime throughout the holiday season. This past weekend's premieres took the campaign's success to a whole new level, taking the lead competitively and delivering Hallmark Channel's highest rated and most watched weekend in network history," said Bill Abbott, President and CEO, Crown Media Family Networks. "These early results are a clear indication that 'Countdown to Christmas' is an integral and beloved holiday tradition for so many, making Hallmark Channel the top television destination for seasonal programming."

The #1 program of Saturday on all of cable, "Snow Bride" becomes Hallmark Channel's 2nd highest-rated program of 2013 among households and total viewers. The original holiday movie also holds the distinction as the 2nd most watched telecast of 2013 on the channel among W25-54 (754,000) and A25-54 (931,000). In the 8-10p time period, "Snow Bride" was #1 for all household and key demo ratings: HH (3.0 rtg), W18-49 (1.2 rtg), W25-54 (1.7 rtg), A18-49 (.8 rtg), A25-54 (1.1 rtg), and P2+ (1.5 rtg). In addition, the original movie delivered #1 in HH (2,636,000), W18-49 (562,000), W25-54 (754,000), and in P2+ (3,397,000) impressions. "Snow Bride" elevated Hallmark Channel to be the #1 cable network in Primetime among W25-54 (1.5 rtg) and among households for Saturday (2.8 HH rtg).

Reaching nearly 6.1 million unduplicated viewers, "A Very Merry Mix-Up" is Hallmark Channel's most watched telecast among households and W18-49, and 2nd most watched telecast among total viewers, in network history. In addition, the original film becomes Hallmark Channel's 3rd highest-rated program to-date, playing a key part in the network's highest rated day in its history. The #2 cable program on Sunday, "A Very Merry Mix-Up" ranked #2 in households (3.9 rtg) and #2 in total viewers (2.0 rtg) for the 8-10p time period. The film was #2 in households (3,385,000), #2 in total viewers (4,348,000), #3 in W25-54 (911,000), and #3 in W18-49 (851,000) for household and key demo impressions. "A Very Merry Mix-Up", lifted Hallmark Channel to the #1 cable network for the entire day among W25-54 (1.1 rtg) and #2 in Primetime for Sunday among households (3.5 HH rtg).

In "Snow Bride", a tabloid reporter is one gossip scoop away from a big promotion when she finds that the influential political family she's been pursing is nothing like what she imagined. Greta finds herself in The Middle of what could be her best story yet when she encounters Ben, the eldest son of a famous political family, in the mountain retreat, and winds up pretending to be his girlfriend over Christmas so he can save face with his family. However, she soon discovers that the family is more down-to-earth than she ever thought. As she grows more attracted to Ben, she becomes increasingly guilt-ridden about her game of subterfuge and soon must decide how far she will go for the sake of a story. Stars Patricia Richardson, Katrina Law, and Jordan Belfi.

Antique shop owner Alice is nervous to meet her future in-laws for the first time at Christmas in "A Very Merry Mix-Up", especially since she is arriving ahead of her new fianc', Will Mitchum. As luck would have it, a mix up at the airport, amidst her lost baggage and damaged phone, lands her at the wrong home! However, this "wrong" family is just her sort of people and she quickly forms a bond with them, especially with the handsome son, Matt. When the mistake is discovered, she heads to the "right" house, but soon realizes she would rather be spending Christmas with the "wrong" family. As Christmas approaches, Alice must decide if her "Merry Mix-Up" is actually her destiny. Stars Alicia Witt and Mark Wiebe.

Source: The Nielsen Company, November 4-10, 2013

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