HALLMARK CHANNEL'S COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS REMAINS VICTORIOUS AS THE MOST-WATCHED NETWORK AMONG WOMEN 25-54 FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE WEEKEND

Network Maintains Hold on #1 Rated Spot on Cable Among W25-54 For Third Consecutive Week;

Film Scores 4.0 HH Rating, Highest Rated Countdown to Christmas Original and Second-Highest Rated Program in Network's History

Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas continues to burst with holiday spirit and take the lead yet again with its most recent original premieres, A Royal Christmas and The Christmas Shepherd, elevating the network to be the #1 most-watched among W25-54 for its fourth consecutive weekend. Hallmark Channel also earned the distinction of being the #1 rated network among W25-54 for the third consecutive week. In addition, the Saturday, November 22 premiere of A Royal Christmas and the Sunday, November 23 premiere of The Christmas Shepherd ranked as the #1 and #2 movies of the week, respectively, among HH ratings.

"The enthusiasm for Countdown to Christmas, which was solidified by this weekend's strong performance, further proves the value in Hallmark Channel's unique form of holiday storytelling and original content," said Bill Abbott, president and CEO, Crown Media Family Networks. "We look forward to continuing to deliver more of what our viewers love and enjoy, as well as building on this successful franchise for years to come."

The debut of A Royal Christmas averaged a whopping 4.5 million total viewers, making it the 2nd most watched telecast in Hallmark Channel history among HH's and total viewers. The joyous turnout also reached a record 6.3 million unduplicated viewers for the network's largest unduplicated audience of any Hallmark Channel original movie in history. To top it off, the film earned a 4.0 HH rating, becoming the highest rated Countdown to Christmas original premiere and the 2nd highest rated Hallmark Channel original movie among HHs and total viewers in network history. In its November 22nd 8-10pm time period, A Royal Christmas was the #1 rated film among almost all key demos, including HH (4.0), W18-49 (1.6), W25-54 (2.2) and total viewers (2.1). Moreover, the majestic debut ranked #1 in delivery among HH (3,383,000), W18-49 (712,000), W25-54 (945,000) and total viewers (4,482,000).

The Christmas Shepherd was also top dog for the day, with the premiere averaging 4.2 million total viewers and reaching 5.8 unduplicated viewers. In its 8-10pm time period, the film earned the #2 spot among HH and total viewer ratings and delivery. The debut helped boost the network to be the #1 rated network for the entire day among HH (1.9) and W25-54 (.9).

In A Royal Christmas, Emily Corrigan (Lacey Chabert) is a devoted seamstress at the family business and madly in love with her doting European boyfriend, Leo (Stephen Hagan). But as their first Christmas together approaches, Leo drops a bombshell on his unsuspecting girlfriend: he is actually Prince Leopold, heir to the throne of Cordinia, a small sovereign country. Emily is in shock, but her love for Leo trumps her hesitation about his double life and they quickly fly to Cordinia to announce their engagement and spend the holidays with Leo's disapproving mother, Queen Isadora (Jane Seymour). Attempting to stay true to herself in a world where she clearly doesn't belong, Emily wonders if love is enough to keep her newly royal relationship from falling apart before Christmas morning.

In The Christmas Shepherd, Sally Brown (Teri Polo), a children's book author and illustrator lives in a small Massachusetts town where she and her late husband, an Army vet, settled with Buddy, a German Shepherd he found while serving overseas. She is devastated, though, when her beloved Buddy runs away during a thunderstorm and ends up in an animal shelter miles from home. Mark Green (Martin Cummins) and his teenage daughter, Emma (Ashley Olson) themselves struggling to put their lives back together after losing his wife and her mother three years ago, end up adopting the dog, who wins their hearts and heals their souls. But Sally's journey to find Buddy eventually connects her to Mark and Emma, who must decide if they want to give up a pet who has helped make their lives whole again - and Sally has to decide if she wants to separate him from this loving pair. But wherever Buddy goes, love follows, helping to bring everyone the greatest Christmas present possible.

Source: The Nielsen Company, November 17 - November 23, 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 family entertainment available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 85 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming featuring an ambitious slate of original content, including movies; scripted series, such as Cedar Cove and When Calls the Heart; annual specials like Hero Dog Awards and Kitten Bowl; 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, including The 12 New Movies of Christmas. 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 Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, available in HD and SD, features a unique mix of content including original movies and acquired series that are dramatic in tone and focus on the lighter side of the mystery genre, as well as classic presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.

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