Hallmark Channel to Present Original Special KITTEN BOWL in 2014

Attention, sports fans! Hallmark Channel announces a brand new tradition that is sure to become the most talked about big game on television! On Sunday, February 2, 2014 (12:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), Hallmark Channel opens its stadium doors to the greatest feline showdown in cable television history, KITTEN BOWL, a three-hour Hallmark Channel Original Special featuring the world's most adorable - and adoptable - kittens in the mother lode of cat agility competition.

The special, which will be presented annually, is supported by the network's animal welfare partner, American Humane Association, and is just one of many high-profile commitments the company has made to its evergreen Pet Project initiative. With American Humane Association, Hallmark Channel's in-house production team will scour rescue associations and shelters searching for kitty competitors whose enduring prize will be a loving, forever home. "Kitten Bowl" is a bonanza of opportunity for Ad Sales and product integration and will feature a live streaming internet channel to catch every delightful, charming, or inspirational moment. Suiting up as judges, referees, and sideline trainers will be Hallmark Channel's top tier Original Movie talent. And, in a first for the network, viewers at home will vote in social media for the MVK - Most Valuable Kitten.

"Creating another programming event to reinforce Hallmark Channel's Pet Project, our corporate pet adoption and safety initiative, enhances the profile of the plight of shelter animals in our country while providing fun, family-oriented entertainment to our viewers. We are very proud of our association with American Humane Association and their support of our work in this area," said Bill Abbott, President & CEO, Crown Media Family Networks, home of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.

The agility competition will consist of a basic obstacle course of hurdles of varying heights, A-frame Alpine Scratchers, tunnels, hoop jumps, and weave poles. Lures, like laser pointers, and toys on a string will be used to get the kittens through the course, but food will not allowed. Cat agility competitions, which are modeled after the equestrian sport of show jumping, normally include rules which state that cats must complete a course in under 270 seconds, completing each obstacle in a prescribEd Manner. In a typical feline agility contest, a cat would complete between six and fourteen obstacles, with winning cats completing the course in ten seconds or less. In "Kitten Bowl," however, the competitors are kittens and any form of cuteness is the key to the game.

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 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, and Happy Days. 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, 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 original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.

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