HALLMARK CHANNEL's "KITTEN BOWL II" SCORES WINNING TOUCHDOWN; PREMIERE BROADCAST DRAWS 1.3 MILLION VIEWERS

2nd Annual Feline Football Faceoff Outperforms Inaugural Telecast Across Key Demographics

#Kittenbowl Top Trender on Twitter And Facebook Throughout the Day

Hallmark Channel's 2nd annual Kitten Bowl, America's newest Su-purr Sunday gridiron tradition, intercepted sports fans and animal lovers nationwide yesterday - February 1, 2015 - reaching 1.3 million Total Viewers (up 28% over last year's inaugural telecast) during its 12-3p premiere. In addition, the program was up double digits across key demographics over Kitten Bowl I, capturing 284,000 W25-54 (+37%); 248,000 W18-49 (+38%); 394,000 A18-49 (+40%); and 423,000 A25-54 (+28%).

Kitten Bowl II was also the cat's meow on social media. #KittenBowl (and related Hallmark Channel terms) trended #1 on Twitter for hours on Sunday, garnering over 50,000 tweets, reaching nearly 36 million, and driving Hallmark Channel to experience its biggest Tweet day in network history. The program was also a hot topic on Facebook, trending in the Top 10 into the wee hours of Monday morning and reaching 1.7 million unique users - more than double the activity from the previous year. (Sources: TweetReach and Facebook Analytics).

"We knew animal lovers across the country would catch on and respond to Kitten Bowl - after all there is nothing more entertaining than watching kittens play. But to have experienced this kind of growth, both on air and in social media, in our second year is remarkable," said Bill Abbot, president and CEO, Crown Media Family Networks. "Beyond the success we have achieved in terms of tune-in and engagement, we are incredibly proud of the message Kitten Bowl sends about the importance of adoption and it is our hope that viewers across the country will be moved to rescue their next pet and give a shelter animal the loving home they so deserve."

Kitten Bowl II aired in conjunction with Hallmark Channel's Pet Project, the network's evergreen initiative celebrating the joy animals bring to animals bring to our lives, while shining a spotlight on the plight of this country's epidemic of pet homelessness and encouraging adoption. Through its partners, North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Hallmark Channel helped each of the 92 adoptable kitten footballers find forever loving homes.

The 3-hour special was hosted by Hosted by Beth Stern, TV personality and national spokesperson for North Shore Animal League America, Kitten Bowl II brings a star-studded lineup that includes legendary New York Yankees radio voice John Sterling and award-winning reporter and sports analyst Mary Carillo as "Kitten Bowl's" official play-by-play announcers. Special guest appearances include newly appointed FFL commissioner Boomer Esiason, Kevin Nealon, Regis Philbin, Mario Lopez, Maria Menounos, Kat Dennings, Bob Harper, Fiona Gubelmann, Tricia Helfer, Heather McDonald, Deidre Hall, Jenn Brown and Camren Bicondova.

Kitten Bowl II is executive produced by Eyeworks USA's JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson, Adam Kaloustian and Brant Pinvidic, with Jesse Drollette serving as co-executive producer. Eyeworks USA credits include "Extreme Weight Loss" (ABC), "Bar Rescue" (Spike) and "My Cat From Hell" (Animal Planet), among others.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Preliminary Fast Track Ratings (February1, 2015)

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. Additionally, in November 2014, Hallmark Channel became the exclusive home to world premiere presentations of the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise. Hallmark Channel also features its 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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ABOUT HALLMARK CHANNEL'S PET PROJECT

Hallmark Channel's Pet Project is a cross platform on-and off-air campaign devoted to celebrating the joy and enrichment pets bring to our lives, while raising awareness of this country's epidemic of pet homelessness and promoting adoption. The campaign's programming elements include annual specials like Hero Dog Awards, Kitten Bowl, and Paw Star Game, as well as original movies like Puppy Love and My Boyfriends' Dogs that convey pet adoption messages. In addition, Hallmark Channel's Pet Project features social media outreach, a resource-rich website, and grass roots pet adoption initiatives. Leveraging its digital, social, and linear platforms, Hallmark Channel's Pet Project also partners with such national non-profit organizations as American Humane Association, North Shore Animal League America, and Best Friends Animal Society, to inform the public about the many wonderful animals in shelters across the country and mobilize them to adopt their next pet.

For more information, please visit http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/petproject