'TIS THE SEASON FOR HALLMARK CHANNEL; NETWORK'S ANNUAL "COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS" EVENT KICKS OFF TO A STRONG START WITH FIRST ORIGINAL HOLIDAY PREMIERE SCORING A 2.1 HH RTG.

'Tis the Season for Love Becomes the Network's Most-Watched Premiere in 2015-to-Date

Hallmark Channel's highly-anticipated programming franchise, Countdown to Christmas, officially launched this weekend with the original premiere of 'Tis the Season For Love, which averaged a 2.1 HH rating and 2.3 million total viewers. The debut became the #1 household-rated cable movie of the week. In the Sunday, November 1st 8pm time period, the movie also ranked #2 in ratings and delivery among households and total viewers and boosted Hallmark Channel to be the 2nd highest household-rated cable network in prime time for the day. On social media, 'Tis the Season for Love was #1 among all original movie premieres on cable and broadcast for the day in tweets and unique audience. The opening weekend for Countdown to Christmas and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' Most Wonderful Movies of Christmas combined reached 18.1 million unduplicated viewers.

"Over the last 5 years, Hallmark Channel has become the undisputed leader in holiday programming and viewers can't seem to get enough - so this year, we are raising the bar with our largest and most ambitious slate yet," said Michelle Vicary, EVP, Programming & Network Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks. "Sunday night's results are an excellent way to kick off the campaign and we look forward to once again delivering on our promise for the very best in seasonal entertainment."

In 'Tis the Season For Love, Hanna Baker (Sarah Lancaster) is stuck in New York City without her friends at Christmas time. She decides to return home to the quaint small town she escaped 10 years before and finds a place far different than the hamlet she left. She suddenly finds performing possibilities and even romance that kind of blow her away. Will the holidays prove to be as magical for Hanna as they appear, or is it doomed to disappear as quickly as it arrived for a lady who is ready to take chances she could never have imagined a decade before. Then again, this is the kind of thing that seems to happen during the Christmas season all the time.

Source: Nielsen, October 26-November 1, 2015; Nielsen TV Twitter Ratings.

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 90 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.