The Holidays 2017 News: Hallmark Channel's 'Countdown to Christmas' Kicks Off
While the world is yet to celebrate Halloween, there is no denying that it is, indeed, becoming to look a lot like Christmas in the Hallmark Channel as the network has already begun its "Countdown to Christmas" event for this year.
Hallmark's annual "Countdown to Christmas" began in 2011, but it was not until two years later when the network started leaning into the Christmas spirit by airing 12 original Christmas stories, releasing one on Saturday and another one Christmas movie on a Sunday for six weeks. While the network definitely topped its record in 2013 by producing and airing 21 original Christmas movies last year, it has once again broken its own record this year by producing 33 original Christmas movies, with its first original movie "Marry Me at Christmas" airing last Saturday, Oct. 28.
"Internally, it was a natural for us to create this spirit of the holiday season in every graphic and every treatment and every promo and every interstitial and every movie and the traditions of the season. It really is about creating an entire experience. When (viewers) come to Hallmark, it's not just coming to watch a show, but it's coming for an experience. It just adds that additional emotional connection that says, 'I hear you and I know how you're feeling and I want you to spend time with us as a network," Michelle Vicary, the executive vice president of Hallmark's programming, said in an interview with E!News.
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Vicary believes that no other network can claim that it owns Christmas better than Hallmark. With the network continuously topping its previous performance as far as its "Countdown to Christmas" event is concerned, Vicary's claim may, indeed, be valid.
Meanwhile, the next all-new and original Hallmark Christmas movie "Christmas Festival of Ice" starring Taylor Cole and Damon Runyan debuts this Saturday, November 4 at 8/7 C.
