Hallmark Channel's First-Ever KITTEN PAW-STAR GAME Coming Summer 2015

Hallmark CHANNEL announces a new tradition for sports lovers and cat enthusiasts that will have the cutest cats going up to bat to perform in the biggest Paw-Star baseball game of the year! Hallmark CHANNEL opens its stadium doors Summer 2015 for the baseball paw-stars to take the field. The "Kitten Paw-Star Game" will feature the most adorable kittens ready to hit a line drive and score a homerun. Celebrities across all facets of entertainment - including Major League Baseball players and coaches - will join to cheer on each cat at bat. "Kitten Paw-Star Game" is part of Hallmark Channel's "Pet Project," a multi-faceted initiative devoted to celebrating pets and the incredible joy and enrichment they bring to our lives, and will significantly raise the awareness of the plight of shelter animals across the country.

"Hallmark Channel is breaking ground by producing original, never been done before quality family-friendly entertainment that resonates with viewers," said Bill Abbott, President & CEO, Crown Media Family Networks, home of Hallmark CHANNEL and Hallmark Movie Channel. "Capitalizing on the hugely successful and highly popular 'Kitten Bowl' game that premiered last February, the 'Kitten Paw-Star Game' creates another programming special that has a multi-platform component that will be attractive to advertisers, distributors and viewers alike," Abbott concluded.

The baseball competition will consist of hurdles, jumps, toys on tracks, lures, homerun derbies and toys on string. The catlete paw-stars will be suited up and ready for play in a field where they will be challenged to swat balls, catch line drives and run the bases. The winners will be treated to an award ceremony where they will win the ultimate grand prize.

"Kitten Paw-Star Game" will be executive produced by JD Roth, Todd Nelson, Adam Kaloustian and Brant Pinvidic of Eyeworks USA, whose credits include "Extreme Weight Loss" (ABC), "Bar Rescue" (Spike) and "My Cat From Hell" (Animal Planet), among others. Co-executive producer will be Jesse Drollette.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 86 million subscribers. Hallmark CHANNEL is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of TV movies; original scripted series, including Cedar Cove and When Calls the Heart; specials such as Kitten Bowl; as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. The channel is also home to Daytime Emmy-nominated lifestyle program, Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.