HALLMARK CHANNEL'S SECOND ORIGINAL SCRIPTED SERIES, "WHEN CALLS THE HEART," OFF TO A STRONG START WITH SEASON PREMIERE EARNING A 1.5 HH RTG

Hallmark Channel further fortified its position as a destination for original episodic programming with the premiere of its second scripted series, When Calls the Heart, debuting to a 1.5 household rating and a reach of more than 2.2 million unduplicated viewers. The Saturday, January 11th Season 1 opener elevated Hallmark Channel to be the #2 household-rated network in the 9-10pm time period, as well as #2 among P2+ (.8 rtg). The series premiere also placed among the top 10 in key demo impressions, including #2 in P2+ (1,685,000) and #3 in HH (1,286,000). New episodes of the series, based on the bestselling Canadian West novels by Janette Oke and starring actresses, Erin Krakow, Lori Loughlin, and Jean Smart will air every Saturday night for 12 consecutive weeks.

Season 1 of When Calls the Heart comes on the heels of the 2-hour series pilot, which aired in October 2013, as well as the network's first scripted series, Cedar Cove, which launched in July 2013 and was #1 in Saturday primetime for 12 consecutive weeks.

Krakow (Army Wives) stars in When Calls the Heart as Elizabeth Thatcher, a young teacher who uproots her high society life to take a job as a schoolteacher in a small prairie town in the Western Frontier. Set against the wild backdrop of a 19th century coal town, led by two strong coal miner widows, Abigail Stanton (Loughlin) and Frances Tunnecliffe (Smart - Designing Women, 24, Samantha Who), When Calls the Heart follows Elizabeth's journey as she struggles to build a new life amid the rough and tumble ways of the frontier and navigate the uncharted politics, romance, and drama of a remote, insular town.

Source: The Nielsen Company, January 6 - January 12, 2014

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 86 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, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. 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. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, 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.

Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter (Join the conversation at #HeartofTV), Pinterest, GetGlue, YouTube