<\/p>\n
The holiday season is Hallmark\u2019s Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
This year alone, Hallmark has 80 hours of original holiday-themed programming, including two unscripted series, two scripted series, a holiday special and 24 movies with titles such as \u201cThe Snow Must Go On\u201d and \u201cChristmas at the Catnip Cafe\u201d that run from mid-October to Christmas.<\/p>\n
The company also has branched out into the experiences business with a Hallmark Christmas Cruise and the Hallmark Christmas Experience festival in Kansas City, Mo., where the company is based.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s one of the most brilliant business decisions they\u2019ve made, and they\u2019re expanding there because they have to,\u201d Anjali Bal, associate professor of marketing at Babson College, said of Hallmark\u2019s experiences business. \u201cIt allows a connection between the consumer and the brand on a direct level in a way a movie can\u2019t provide.\u201d<\/p>\n
It may seem like a far cry from Hallmark\u2019s roots as a greeting card purveyor, but company executives say the holiday feelings evoked by its cards, ornaments and gift wrap translate into the type of content they produce.<\/p>\n
And that plethora of content has turned Hallmark into a Christmas juggernaut, fueling competitors such as Lifetime and Netflix, which also produce holiday romantic comedies in the vein of Hallmark movies. <\/p>\n
But Darren Abbott, Hallmark\u2019s chief brand officer, doesn\u2019t seem overly concerned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a reason everyone else is trying to do this, and it\u2019s because consumers are looking for this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hallmark\u2019s legacy is rooted in celebrating holidays and Christmas, he said, \u201cand no other business or brand has that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founded in 1910 by an 18-year-old entrepreneur hawking postcards, Hallmark built its brand over the years through cards, holiday ornaments and retail stores.<\/p>\n
The family-owned business ventured into entertainment in 1951 with the television presentation Hallmark Hall of Fame. Today, Studio City-based Hallmark Media operates three cable networks, including the Hallmark Channel<\/a>, which debuted in 2001, as well as a subscription streaming service.<\/p>\n Though Hallmark had aired holiday movies practically since the inception of its cable channel, the company doubled down on the season in 2009, rolling out \u201cCountdown to Christmas,\u201d a 24-hour-a-day programming block focused solely on holiday content, a tradition that has lasted for 16 years.<\/p>\n Hallmark produces about 100 movies a year, both holiday and non-holiday films. <\/p>\n As a privately-held company, Hallmark did not disclose its finances, though executives acknowledge the holiday season is a key driver of entertainment revenue. <\/p>\n The expansion into entertainment is a way for Hallmark to stay in the zeitgeist over multiple generations and to diversify its business beyond just cards and retail products, analysts said.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir television stations and experiences business allows them to stay culturally relevant while staying true to their origin,\u201d said Bal, the marketing professor.<\/p>\n Holiday programming \u2014 and the breezy, romantic fare Hallmark has become known for \u2014 has become increasingly popular with audiences.<\/p>\n Holiday features, both old movies and new, typically make up more than a third of total movie viewing time in December, according to U.S. television data from Nielsen. That percentage has remained fairly consistent for the last three years, though it reached 42% in December 2021. <\/p>\n Hallmark\u2019s television viewership also edges up in the months leading into the holidays. In October, Hallmark commanded 1% of total viewership across linear TV and streaming, ticking up to 1.2% in November, according to Nielsen data. During that same time, competitor A&E, which owns Lifetime, remained constant at 0.9%.<\/p>\n Hallmark\u2019s feel-good movies typically resonate with audiences across the country. They invariably conclude with happy endings (and at least one kiss<\/a>), where romantic misunderstandings, financial difficulties and family drama all get resolved. After years of criticism, the movies\u2019 casts and plot lines are diversifying<\/a>, though experts say there is still room for improvement.<\/p>\n \u201cThese films are designed to be highly appealing to broad audiences,\u201d said Kit Hughes, associate professor of film and media studies at Colorado State University, who watched every single Hallmark film released in 2022 for research on the portrayal of small business owners. \u201cThey\u2019re good consensus movies.\u201d<\/p>\n To grow its audience and the types of stories it tells, Hallmark has increasingly turned to brand partnerships, including with the NFL<\/a>.<\/p>\n