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MUMBAI:
It may be on the fringes in India, but the Hallmark Channel
is growing leaps and bounds in the US. The channel claims
that in its first 12 months on air it is America's fastest
growing cable network.
An
official release informs that since launching last year
in August, the network has added more households than any
other network, more than doubled its viewership in primetime
year-to-year, and ranked first for growth in time spent
viewing, according to Nielsen Media Research (August '01-July
'02). Last year Hallmark Cards. and Crown Media Holdings
re-launched Crown Media's US cable channel Odyssey Network
as the Hallmark Channel
The re-launch was seen as a key part of Crown Media's business
strategy to create a global television network dedicated
to delivering quality family-friendly entertainment. In
its first 12 months since launch, Hallmark Channel attained
the most subscriber growth of any cable network. The network
has grown 43 per cent, adding 14.1 million subscriber homes
(August '01-July '02). Hallmark Channel was followed by
Food Network and TV Land, in second and third positions
respectively. The network currently reaches 47 million homes
across the US and is distributed in all of the 211 DMA's
measured by Nielsen.
In
addition to distribution growth, Hallmark ranked first among
all cable networks in primetime household viewership growth
with an increase of 116 per cent, based on a year-to-year
comparison (August '01 to July '02 vs. August '00 to July
'01). Rounding out the measured categories, the network
ranked first in time spent viewing for primetime. The average
time spent viewed increased by 24 per cent, based on year-to-year
comparisons (3Q'01-2Q'02 v 3Q'00- 2Q'01).
Further
supporting the network's growth in its first year was the
major boost in viewership among key demographics. Among
women 25-54, viewership increased 110 per cent in total
day and 89 per cent in primetime. Among Adults 25-54, viewership
increased 94 per cent in total day, and 76 per cent in primetime
over the previous year (August '01 Ð July '02 vs. August
'00 - July '01). Hallmark claims to have set record-breaking
ratings in first quarter of this year with a .6 HH rating
in primetime, and during the week of Jan. 20, 2002, the
six-part miniseries Roots averaged a 1.7 HH rating
and earned record ratings for the network every evening
it aired. Primetime programming milestones for the year
include:
On
22 Jan, 2002, Hallmark Channel delivered its highest-rated
telecast Roots: Part 3, earning an average of 1.8
HH rating and peaking at 1.9 HH rating. · On 24 Jan Roots:
Part 5 delivered the second-highest telecast, earning
an average household rating of 1.8 and peaking at 2.0. ·
The network scored high with its original miniseries, Mark
Twain's Roughing It, Part One delivered a 1.6 HH rating
on March 16, 2002, to become the network's highest rated
original. In addition, Stranded, Part One on June
15, 2002, delivered a 1.0 HH rating.
The
unscripted, award-winning documentary series Adoption
the network's first regularly scheduled original, delivered
its highest average rating of .7 HH rating during the week
of June 30, 2002. Hallmark Channel also achieved impressive
growth on the advertising sales front, doubling its revenue
this year and increasing its advertiser base to more than
250 in 2002, from 150 in 2001.
Hallmark
Channel is a 24-hour television network that provides high
quality, entertainment programming that is family-friendly
to a national audience of 47 million subscribers. In the
US the programme service is distributed through 1,700 cable
systems, DirecTV (Channel 312) and EchoStar (DISH Channel
185) direct-to-home satellite services and C-Band dish owners
across the country.
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