Hallmark Touts Nearly 100 Originals in Upfront Push

Crown Media Family Networks is getting upfront and personal with marketers for 2022. Though in-person upfront events took place in May for the first time since 2019, Crown Media chose not to return to the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center for a presentation. Instead, the company decided to take a different approach, connecting with clients individually and providing customized presentations for them. "We're in show business like everyone else, and we love to put our brand up on a big screen in a beautiful room and celebrate with hundreds of people," Ed Georger, evp of advertising sales and digital media at Crown Media, told Adweek. "We will do that one day again, I am sure. But one advantage that we have felt, and our clients have told us, is that there's time in this environment to have [a more tailored] conversation. You're very rarely going to get someone to open up in a room of 100 people." Georger said the approach allowed the company to share detailed information with clients to meet their needs and find solutions. Crown Media has data from companies including iSpot, Xandr and OpenAP for clients looking for an extra level of measurement. There are also conversations around in-store solutions and ways to create partnerships beyond the viewing screen. Crown Media Family Networks Taps iSpot for Ad Measurement—But Not Alternate Currency "When it's a specific group that represents a certain brand, you can put some of the real information and detail on the table and start to work through it. I think that, especially in an environment that we're all living in where there is a certain degree of uncertainty, there's a need for flexibility, there's a need more than ever to partner and protect our businesses, you can have those kinds of conversations in a smaller setting that you just can't have in a ballroom," Georger added. There's plenty to talk about in those smaller conversations. Crown Media and its flagship Hallmark Channel continue to connect with women 18+. Georger explained that Hallmark and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries both rank in the top 10 in total viewership for the audience among cable networks. Additionally, over the last five years, the company's share of the market has grown by more than 20% in the segment. Hallmark also continues to dominate seasonal viewing with its Countdown to Christmas offering, ranking once again as the most-watched cable network among women 18+ in the fourth quarter. "For 10-plus years, we have been the destination for fourth-quarter ratings, the quality, the brand and the trust that we represent. It's where engagement happens. Our marketing partners know that on the brand side, there is arguably not another platform that has the 100-plus-year legacy and then celebrates that 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's no paid programming. This is always brand-focused content," Georger said. All about originals Crown Media will continue to grow its brand-focused content even more in 2022 by expanding Mahogany, the more than three-decade-old Hallmark greeting card line, into an entertainment brand focused on Black culture and Black women. The brand will launch on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel with quarterly movies, and the first two Mahogany films will premiere this August, according to Georger. Crown Media will later expand its offering through several extensions, including podcasts and scripted series. Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries are also leaning into more original content, including adding nearly 100 original movies and series between them in the next year. Georger said the offering includes nearly 40 original Christmas movies and spent time highlighting A Holiday Spectacular, which marks the first time the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the Rockettes have partnered with the company. The company also has a track record of successful original series, with Hallmark's When Calls the Heart recently completing its ninth season. The company will look to build on that with The Way Home, a new drama series in 2023 that follows three generations of women and has a time travel twist. Several companies focused on streaming at the 2022 upfront, with NBCUniversal touting Peacock and Paramount promoting Paramount+ and Pluto TV. But Crown Media isn't following suit, given that its Hallmark Movies Now streaming service doesn't include ads. However, that doesn't mean things won't change in the future. "We're really currently investing and focused on the pure play of our linear channels. But there will be more to come on that development because we recognize that the enthusiasts for Hallmark content want more," Georger said. When it comes to a unified message to marketers, Georger always goes back to the brand. "What differentiates us is a laser focus on how we can offer the audience that is so enthusiastic around our brand—how loyal they are, how committed they are to what we do," Georger said. "I think that our marketers and advertising partners really see that value." Beyond Aesthetic: What Haircare Brands Must Remember When Speaking to the Black Community

TV Upfronts

Hallmark Touts Nearly 100 Original Movies and Series in Upfront Push

While most publishers held in-person events, Crown Media Family Networks took a different approach with marketers

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