"WHEN CALLS THE HEART" IS OFF TO A STRONG START WITH A 2.1 HH RATING AND 2.3 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS, BASED ON L+3 DATA

SEASON 2 PREMIERE MAKES HALLMARK CHANNEL THE MOST-WATCHED AND HIGHEST-RATED NETWORK ON CABLE AMONG HOUSEHOLDS AND TOTAL VIEWERS, EXCLUDING SPORTS

Season 2 Debut Sets Social Media Record for Hallmark Channel As The Network's Most Tweeted Telecast

The highly-anticipated season 2 premiere of Hallmark Channel's original scripted series, When Calls the Heart, launched this weekend to a 2.1 HH rating and 2.3 million total viewers, according to Live+3 data. The Saturday, April 25th 2-hour world debut out-delivered the season 1 premiere by 25% among HHs and 21% among total viewers. In the 8-10pm time period, When Calls the Heart boosted Hallmark Channel to be the most-watched and highest-rated network among households and total viewers, outside of sports. Additionally, the season 2 opener reached over 3.2 million unduplicated viewers.

The Saturday night premiere engaged audiences across multiple platforms, generating the highest tweets of any Hallmark Channel original series or movie premiere in network history. Of the night's record number of tweets, 84% contained #hearties. The Season 2 debut also outperformed the Season 1 average, noting a boost in tweets of +548% and registering growth of +96% among unique authors and +155% among unique audiences. Topping it off, Hallmark Channel's Facebook page skyrocketed to 796,000 unique users and 29,000 unique engaged users on the season 2 premiere day.

"Viewer engagement surrounding When Calls the Heart is stronger and more immersive than ever and this weekend's successful opening performance demonstrates the power of the network's storytelling," said Michelle Vicary, executive vice president, programming & network publicity. "We look forward to sharing more of what's to come in Hope Valley over the course of the season as well as continuing to entertain and connect with the show's loyal fans."

In When Calls the Heart: Trials of the Heart, Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) and Jack (Daniel Lissing) are closer than ever after their first kiss, but their budding union barely has time to begin when Elizabeth receives a distressing telegram from home requesting her return. As Jack gains a new understanding of Elizabeth's high-society family life, Abigail (Lori Loughlin) remains in Coal Valley where she nervously awaits the mining disaster trial, and finally confronts investigator Bill Avery (Jack Wagner) about a shocking discovery that could put their own romantic future on hold.

Source: Nielsen, April 20th - April 26th, Live+3 ratings and impressions.

ABOUT HALLMARK CHANNEL

Hallmark Channel is Crown Media Family Networks' flagship 24-hour cable television network, distributed nationwide in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to 85 million homes. The country's leading destination for quality family entertainment, Hallmark Channel delivers on the 100-year legacy of the Hallmark brand. In addition to its signature original movies, the network features an ambitious lineup of other original content, including scripted primetime series, such as Cedar Cove, Good Witch, and When Calls the Heart; annual specials like Kitten Bowl and Hero Dog Awards 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. Dedicated to helping viewers celebrate life's special moments, Hallmark Channel also offers such annual holiday programming events as Countdown to Christmas and Countdown to Valentine's Day. Rounding out the network's diverse slate are television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Middle, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. Complementing Hallmark Channel's light-hearted and comedic fare, sibling network Hallmark Movies & Mysteries presents a unique mix of content that is more dramatic in tone, including original movies and such acquired series Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and Hart to Hart.

Crown Media Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWN), owns and operates Crown Media Family Networks.

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