HALLMARK CHANNEL ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF FIRST TWO HALLMARK HALL OF FAME MOVIE PREMIERES TO BE PRODUCED UNDER ITS CROWN MEDIA PRODUCTIONS BANNER

Hallmark Hall of Fame is Most Award-Winning Series in Television History

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, July 27 - Hallmark Channel announces the first two films in development for the storied Hallmark Hall of Fame, the most award-winning series in the history of television. "Christmas Angel in Training" will have its world premiere on the network, November 28 (8 p.m. ET/PT), as part of Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas" event. "Love Lock," part of "Countdown to Valentine's Day" event, will have its world premiere on Hallmark Channel in February, 2017. Announcement of the new, original movies was made to the semi-annual gathering of the Television Critics Association in Beverly Hills, CA.

"Christmas Angel in Training" tells the story of the untimely death of a workaholic who never put much value into personal relationships or the joys of Christmas who finds herself recruited to be a Christmas Angel even though she hasn't participated in seasonal traditions on earth in a very long time. She is assigned a hard luck case, though she has little success in helping her charge find joy, happiness, and peace - until she begins to discover these things within herself.

"Love Lock" tells the story of Hannah, a young woman who discovers that the love padlocks sweethearts have placed on a famous bridge in Paris will be torn down, and so she returns to the City of Lights to retrieve her parents lock. Unbeknownst to her parents, Hannah and her boyfriend had also placed a lock on the bridge, but they broke up soon after. Never understanding the reason for the breakup, Hannah travels to Paris and discovers her boyfriend is engaged to another.

"We're pleased that Hallmark Channel's success over the past 15 years has given Hallmark Cards the confidence that we will keep these award-winning films special," said Bill Abbott, President & CEO, Crown Media Family Networks, home of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

"We and Hallmark Cards are committed to providing future Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations with the same great storytelling, relevant subjects, world-class actors, strong production values, and financial support that distinguishes these programs from everything else on TV. Hallmark Hall of Fame has elevated the prestige of television for decades, and that will continue," Abbott added.

Hallmark Hall of Fame is the most award-winning series in the history of television, winning 81 Emmy Awards and garnering many more nominations.

Many Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations have been groundbreaking: "Hamlet" was the very first Shakespearean play on television; more viewers saw that broadcast than had seen the play presented on stage in the 350 years prior.

Hallmark Hall of Fame brought both classic and contemporary literature to TV screens: John Grisham, Arthur Miller, George Bernard Shaw, Willa Cather, John Steinbeck, August Wilson, Rosamunde Pilcher, and many other masterful literary works were adapted for Hallmark Hall of Fame.

Hallmark Hall of Fame productions have featured a Who's Who of the world's finest actors: Betty Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Morgan Freeman, Glenn Close, James Garner, James Woods, Alec Guinness, John Gielgud, Julie Harris, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Betty White, Faye Dunaway, Jason Robards, Joanne Woodward, Anthony. Hopkins, and many more great stars. In fact, 25% of all Academy Award-winning actors have appeared on a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation.

In addition, Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations took on societal issues like child abuse and abandonment ("What The Deaf Man Heard," "Teacher, Teacher," "Ellen Foster"), physical challenges ("Love Is Never Silent," "Sweet Nothing In My Ear"), schizophrenia and mental illness ("Promise"), alcoholism ("My Name is Bill W," Bill Wilson co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, "When Love Is Not Enough: the Lois Wilson Story," Bill's wife, Lois Wilson cofounded Al-Anon), while others remembered the horror of the Holocaust and the struggles faced by ethnic and religious minorities ("The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," "Miss Rose White"). Hallmark Hall of Fame is also distinguished by being the longest single-running program in the history of television.

ABOUT CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS

Crown Media Family Networks is the umbrella unit subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Inc., housing cable's leading family friendly networks, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, as well as their corresponding digital extensions HallmarkChannel.com and HallmarkMoviesandMysteries.com. The company operates and distributes both channels in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) with Hallmark Channel available to 90 million subscribers and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in 66 million homes in the United States. Hallmark Channel features an ambitious slate of original content, including movies; scripted series, such as When Calls the Heart, and Good Witch; annual specials like Hero Dog Awards and Kitten Bowl; world premieres of Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations, and a daily 2-hour lifestyle show, Home & Family. Hallmark Channel is also home to annual holiday franchise, Countdown to Christmas, featuring a lineup of 24/7 holiday programming. Rounding out the networks' lineup are television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Middle, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is a 24-hour digital cable network featuring a unique mix of original movies and acquired series focused on the lighter side of the suspense and mystery genres. The network also features its own annual holiday programming franchise, the Most Wonderful Movies of Christmas, as well as presentations from the award-winning Hallmark Hall of Fame library. Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat