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HALLMARK CHANNEL CONTINUES DISTRIBUTION GROWTH WITH
LAUNCHES IN KEY MARKETS: PHILADELPHIA, DETROIT,
WASHINGTON, DC AND CLEVELAND LEAD THE WAY
Additional Launches Include Systems in Florida, Delaware,
New Mexico and Indiana
Hallmark Channel announced today it has launched on Comcast, Time Warner
and NCTC systems, serving markets such as Philadelphia, PA, Detroit, MI, Cleveland,
OH, Tallahassee, FL, Rockville, MD, New Castle, DE, Delaware County, PA, Santa Fe,
NM, Del Rio, TX, Hattiesburg, MS and Evansville, IN. The new launches bring Hallmark
Channel�s total distribution to more than 64 million subscribers. The announcement was
made by Janice Arouh, Senior Vice President of Network Distribution and Service for
Hallmark Channel.
The new launches are particularly significant in Philadelphia, the Washington, DC
area, Detroit, Baltimore and Tallahassee because Hallmark Channel is now substantially
distributed in these markets. The network also experienced growth in 2004 with
increased DirecTV and Echostar subscribers as well as cable system launches in Los
Angeles, CA, Tucson, AZ, Tulsa, OK, Little Rock, AR and Savannah, GA, among others.
�The success we�ve had with distribution growth and ratings this year proves the
value our programming provides our affiliate partners and their subscribers,� stated
Arouh. �With the upcoming debut of �JAG� and �Walker, Texas Ranger� and the arrival of
the holiday season, our most highly rated time of year, we�re poised to continue with
strong growth across-the-board through the end of the year and beyond.�
Hallmark Channel is a 24-hour basic cable channel that provides high-quality,
entertainment programming to a national audience of more than 64 million subscribers.
The program service is distributed through nearly 4,500 cable systems and communities
and direct- to-home satellite services across the country. Crown Media Holdings, Inc.
(NASDAQ: CRWN) owns and operates Hallmark Channel, which, in addition to the U.S.,
is distributed worldwide to more than 122 countries. The combined channels reach
more than 115 million subscribers globally. In January 2004, Crown launched its first
digital service, the Hallmark Movie Channel, which is its second 24-hour linear channel.
Through its subsidiary, Crown Media Distribution, LLC, Crown also distributes awardwinning
titles from the Hallmark Entertainment collection for exhibition in a variety of
television media including Video-on-Demand and High Definition Television.
� HALLMARK CHANNEL �
For more information visit hallmarkchannel.com and hallmarkmoviechannel.com.
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