UP FAITH & FAMILY TO EXCLUSIVELY PREMIERE SEASON 17 OF THE HIT FAMILY SERIES "HEARTLAND" IN THE U.S. BEGINNING APRIL 25

UP FAITH & FAMILY TO CELEBRATE THE NEW SEASON WITH THE FIRST EVER HEARTLAND VIRTUAL FANFEST ON APRIL 15

ATLANTA (April 2, 2024) - The commercial-free subscription streaming service UP Faith & Family, the leader in uplifting entertainment, will be the first place in the U.S. to premiere Heartland season 17 and the only place fans can stream until early next year. Beginning April 25, the service will add new episodes weekly with a three-week break after episode five. During the hiatus, UP Faith & Family will debut all-new exclusive content for fans.

"Fans of Heartland know that UP Faith & Family continues to be the exclusive home of the newest season and the first place to see all episodes of their favorite series here in the U.S.," said Hector Campos, senior vice president, content strategy and programming at UP Entertainment. "We are also big fans of the series ourselves, and this season we are thrilled to celebrate Heartland with the first ever FanFest allowing exclusive access to talent."

FanFest is a virtual event designed to allow fans to be an integral part of the release of season 17 on UP Faith & Family. Held on April 15 from 2 p.m. ET- 3 p.m. ET, Heartland super fans can join online and submit questions through social media for cast members to answer them live at the event. Participants will also get a sneak peek at an upcoming episode. Seats are limited, but fans who wish to attend must register online at HeartlandFanFest.com and will receive a link to join the event closer to the actual event. Cast members Amber Marshall, Michelle Morgan and Chris Potter are expected to appear with other guests to be announced soon. FanFest will be recorded and available exclusively to UP Faith & Family subscribers during the three-week hiatus. More information will be announced soon.

Heartland, the longest running one-hour drama in Canadian television history, is set in the rolling foothills of the Rockies in the fictional town of Hudson, Alberta. Amy and the rest of the family know better than most that while dreams can sometimes come true, life also often takes us in unexpected directions. Season 17 of Heartland is all about embracing the unexpected, and the season premiere will be the 250th episode of the hit series. It's about new experiences and taking the path less traveled. In the new season, the Bartlett-Fleming family will find themselves excited for the future and ready to embrace new adventures, challenges and relationships. But no matter how much things may change, Amy, Lou, Jack and Tim will continue to fight for what they believe in while staying rooted in the land that has been in the Bartlett-Fleming family for generations.

Heartland is based on the bestselling series of books by Lauren Brooke. The executive producers are Michael Weinberg, Tom Cox, Jordy Randall, and Mark Haroun along with co-executive producer Dean Bennett. The series is produced by Jess Maldaner. The series writers are Mark Haroun, Ken Craw, Caitlin Fryers, Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke, and Adam Hussein. Season 17 Directors include Dean Bennett, Ken Filewych, Chris Potter, Michelle Morgan, Kristin Lehman and Madison Thomas.

About UP Entertainment

UP Entertainment, home to UP Faith & Family, UPtv, aspireTV, aspireTV+, aspireTV Life and Cine Romántico, is the destination for uplifting entertainment for passionate and diverse audiences across the leading cable, satellite and streaming platforms. UP Faith & Family is the leading subscription streaming service in uplifting entertainment. UPtv is the trusted network for adults seeking positive programming with relatable stories about relationships, filled with love and laughter, through exclusive premiere movies, box-office hit films and beloved series. AspireTV is the television network that celebrates and reflects Black life, style and culture in a way that is inspiring, authentic and entertaining. AspireTV+ is a new subscription streaming service for Black culture and urban lifestyle entertainment. AspireTV Life is a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel filled with programming that shares the experiences of multicultural viewers through food, fashion, travel and design. Additionally, UP Entertainment in partnership with PixL Dos, manages and distributes Cine Romántico, a FAST channel featuring the best of Hollywood TV romance movies in Spanish. UP Entertainment's award-winning pro-social initiative, "UPlift Someone," has inspired over 200 million people to uplift others through its social videos and dedicated UPlift Someone Facebook page and website.

About SEVEN24 Films

SEVEN24 Films is an independent film and television production company whose work has spanned over two decades. Executive Producers Tom Cox and Jordy Randall have produced dramatic series, mini-series, television movies and feature films garnering over one hundred industry awards and nominations.

SEVEN24's current projects include RIDE, a new one-hour series for Hallmark and CTV, FAMILY LAW, the new legal series for Global and CW, the hit family series HEARTLAND - the longest running one-hour series in Canadian history - now in its seventeenth season for CBC, Netflix and UPtv. Other projects include WYNONNA EARP on Syfy and CTV Sci-Fi, and half hour comedy JANN for CTV and Hulu.

SEVEN24's focus on integration of scripted programming with interactive content and social media has helped make HEARTLAND and WYNONNA EARP two of the most dynamic scripted television projects in the digital space.

Previous projects include DAMNATION with NBC Universal for USA, FORTUNATE SON, a political thriller for CBC and NBCU International, DARK CARGO, a noir thriller for YouTube Premium, YOUNG DRUNK PUNK for Rogers and CBC, the Canadian Screen Award winner Borealis, the Gemini Award winning movie Mayerthorpe and Gemini Award winning Mini-Series BURN UP.

Tom Cox and Jordy Randall were also co-producers on numerous high-profile feature films including the Academy Award nominated Brokeback Mountain and are both recipients of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of their contribution to the arts.

SEVEN24 Films was named Playback Magazine's Production Company of the Year in 2020.

About Dynamo Films

Dynamo Films Inc. is an independent television production company founded in 2004 by Michael Weinberg. Dynamo purchased the television and ancillary rights to all the HEARTLAND books and created the television series of the same name.

In 2006 the English broadcast rights for Canada were sold by Dynamo to CBC and subsequent sales to other markets have reached more than 120 countries.

Beginning with the very first episode, Michael Weinberg has acted as Executive Producer for the HEARTLAND television show which is the longest running one hour dramatic series in Canadian history and currently has an unprecedented seventeenth season.