COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS Premieres Bump Hallmark Channel to Top of Cable Movie Ratings

Viewers continue to make Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas" programming their number one choice for holiday fare with the December 8th premiere of "Come Dance with Me" and the December 9th premiere of "Help for the Holidays".

"Come Dance with Me" ranked as the network's 6th consecutive #1 Saturday cable movie, in addition to being the #2 movie of the week, delivering a 2.7 household rating with nearly 4.8 million unduplicated viewers. The Saturday evening (8p - 10p) premiere of "Come Dance with Me" ranked #2 in HH (2.7 rtg), #2 in W25-54 (1.2 rtg), and #3 in P2+ (1.4 rtg) in household and key demo ratings. The film elevated Hallmark Channel to be the #2 cable network in prime time for Saturday among households (2.4 HH rtg) and the #2 cable network for the Saturday among W25-54 (.7 rtg).

Saturday's positive ratings and delivery progressed into Sunday, with "Help for the Holidays" garnering a 3.0 household rating with over 5.6 million unduplicated viewers. In addition, "Help for the Holidays" was the #1 cable program of Sunday and the #1 cable movie of the week. Among the core demographic of W25-54 rating, "Help for the Holidays" ranked as the #2 cable movie and the #5 telecast of the Sunday in addition to the #3 cable movie of the week. In the Sun 8-10p time period, the movie placed in the top 5 for HH and key demo ratings, including #1 in HH (3.0 rtg), #1 in P2+ (1.7 rtg), #2 in W25-54 (1.8 rtg), #2 in A25-54 (1.3 rtg), and #3 in W18-49 (1.3 rtg). In household and total viewer impressions, "Help for the Holidays" delivered #1 in HH (2,617,000), #1 in P2+ (3,639,000), #3 in W25-54 (828,000), and #3 in A25-54 (1,189,000). The Sunday premiere of "Help for the Holidays" boosted Hallmark Channel to be the #1 rated cable network in prime time among households (2.7 HH rtg) and the #1 rated cable network for day among households (1.5 rtg), W25-54 (.8 rtg), and A25-54 (.7 rtg). The film now claims the distinction as Hallmark Channel's most watched original movie of the year among W25-54, A25-54, and total viewers, and the 2nd highest-rated original movie of the year among households.

Hallmark Channel original movie, "Come Dance with Me" stars Andrew McCarthy as a rising financial executive (Jack) who is dating a woman way out of his league both socially and financially. To prepare for his company's lavish Christmas party, and to create the perfect proposal for his girlfriend, Jack decides to learn to waltz. When sparks start to fly between Jack and his dance instructor, Christine (Michelle Nolden, "Numb3rs"), Jack will have to make some important decisions before it is too late.

In "Help for the Holidays", one of Santa's hardest working elves, Christine, goes on a special assignment for Christmas as a new nanny for a family in desperate need of a holiday makeover. When she realizes that the family lacks warmth and closeness due to the stress of owning a business, she sets out to teach them what it really means to be a family at Christmas time. Will Christine fail her assignment and get sent back to the North Pole, or will the VanCamps come to their senses about the meaning of Christmas. Stars Summer Glau ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"), Eva LaRue ("CSI: Miami"), Dan Gauthier ("One Life to Live"), and John Brotherton ("Jane By Design").

Source: The Nielsen Company, December 3 - 9

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 nearly 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, Frasier, Little House on the Prairie, and The Waltons. The channel is also home to a diverse range of lifestyle programming, including the newly-launched Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot and Marie, a one-hour talk show hosted by iconic entertainer, Marie Osmond. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed HallMark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies, and special events.