ION Television Celebrates "Very Merry" Holiday Season With Five All-New Original Movies

ION's Annual Holiday Movie Schedule Begins November 26 with New Titles and Returning Favorites Following Record Viewership in 2016

2017 Premieres Include "Snowmance," "The Spruces & The Pines," "Runaway Christmas Bride," "A Royal Christmas Ball" and "A Christmas Cruise"

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 09, 2017 -- The holiday season is when time-honored traditions are celebrated, and for more families each year, that includes watching ION Television's lineup of festive movie titles. Following its most-watched holiday season ever in 2016, ION will debut the U.S. television premieres of five all-new original holiday movies beginning November 26. The "Very Merry" lineup also features more than 20 returning favorites, airing weekends in December through Christmas Day.

Last year's holiday lineup registered double-digit ratings growth in key demos, with Households, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 increasing more than 15% year over year. "A Cinderella Christmas," new in 2016, was ION Television's highest rated movie in three years, delivering more than 1.7 million total viewers.*

"ION Television has built its reputation among viewers as a go-to destination for holiday programming by providing high-quality original movie productions for nearly a decade," said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO of ION Media. "The holiday season is an increasingly important component of the network's programming strategy, and our success during this key period has made ION a must-buy for advertisers."

ION Television's holiday movie season kicks off Sunday, November 26, with the premiere of "Snowmance" at 9/8c PM. The following is a list of ION's all-new movies for 2017, including their premiere dates and times. The full movie schedule will be announced on iontelevision.com in November.

"Snowmance" - Sunday, November 26, 9/8c PM

Cast: Ashley Newbrough, Adam Hurtig, Jesse Hutch, Tom Anniko, Lauren Cochrane, Tamara Gorski

Synopsis: No man is perfect enough for Sarah Groves, except perhaps the impressive snowmen she sculpts annually with her childhood pal, Nick. In mid-December, her snowman disappears, and in his place, materializes Cole, who seems too perfect for Sarah to be true.

Produced by: MarVista Entertainment

"The Spruces & The Pines" - Sunday, December 3, 9/8c PM

Cast: Jonna Walsh, Nick Ballard, Tom Kemp, Kathy Harum, Ken Cheeseman, Sarah Fischer, John MacGregor

Synopsis: A Romeo and Juliet romance takes place among two feuding New England Christmas Tree lot families. Against their families' wills, Julie Pine and visiting-from-Texas, Rick Spruce, fall in love, but are forced to hide their Yuletide relationship.

Produced by: MarVista Entertainment

"Runaway Christmas Bride" - Saturday, December 9, 9/8c PM

Cast: Travis Milne, Cindy Busby, Mark Milburn, Christos Shaw, Fiona Vroom, Mackenzie Gray, Bruce Dawson, Karen Kruper, Roz Murray, Christine Bortolin, Jeffrey Stephen

Synopsis: A runaway bride, Kate, making herself scarce for the holidays, meets a ski patrol rescuer, Jason, at a resort. Her December days begin to brighten, until her parents and jilted fiancé, Alex, show up at the mountain to reset the wedding for Christmas.

Produced by: Odyssey Media Inc.

"A Royal Christmas Ball" - Sunday, December 10, 9/8c PM

Cast: Tara Reid, Ingo Rademacher, Haley Pullos, Faune Chambers Watkins, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Mira Furlan

Synopsis: Dateless for the Christmas ball, 39-year-old bachelor, King Charles of Baltania, tracks down his American college sweetheart, only to discover Allison has never been married, yet raised a 17-year-old daughter, Lily, who mathematically might be Charles' biological princess.

Produced by: Hybrid Films

"A Christmas Cruise" - Saturday, December 16, 9/8c PM

Cast: Vivica A. Fox, Kristoff St. John, Jessica Morris, Rib Hillis, Corin Nemec, Nick Viall

Synopsis: When her best friend invites her along for a holiday themed sail, an aspiring novelist, Pam, unexpectedly finds the love of her life on board. But what will happen when the ship returns to port for Christmas?

Produced by: Hybrid Films

*Source: Nielsen Media Research, Live+SD A25-54 IMP (000) - 2016 through 12/25/16. Prime (M-Su/7p-1a); Non-Prime (M-Su/9a-7p & 1-3a)

About ION Television

ION Television, a top ten-ranked U.S. general entertainment network, is the flagship of the independent, privately held media company, ION Media. Launched in 2007, ION Television features a "Positively Entertaining" schedule of proven, award-winning programs, quality original series and popular holiday movies available on multiple platforms via its state-of-the-art distribution system. As owner of the nation's largest broadcast station group, ION Media's 60 full-power stations reach 98 million homes. For more information, visit www.iontelevision.com.