Peacock to Become Streaming Home to Hallmark Movies and Series

Wilson Chapman
·2 min read

It’s not even November, but Peacock is getting ready for the holidays. The streamer has inked a deal with Hallmark Media to become the main home for the company’s original programming — including its many popular holiday films.

Starting November 2, Peacock will host a dedicated hub for Hallmark Media movies and TV shows. The hub will give subscribers the ability to watch live simulcasts of Hallmark Media’s three major channels: Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama. New premiere shows and movies — including the long-running “When Calls the Heart” and 2023 primetime premieres “Ride” and “The Way Home” — will be available to stream on demand the day after their linear premiere.

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“We’re proud to enter this partnership with Peacock and bring our widely beloved Hallmark content to their subscribers,” Wonya Lucas, Hallmark Media CEO, said in a statement. “The opportunity to provide our devoted fanbase access to all three of Hallmark’s linear networks will allow our audience to continue to grow and connect in meaningful ways.”

Aside from the simulcasts, the hub will feature a large library of Hallmark movies, including the countless Christmas rom-coms the channel releases each year. Most of the collection’s content will not be available with a free subscription, meaning fans will have to pay for the streamer’s Premium tier to get their Hallmark movie fix.

The announcement of the deal follows news that Peacock lost $614 million in the third quarter of the year. The streamer, which launched in 2020, has struggled to find an audience in its two years of operation, adding zero paid subscribers during Q2 this year, and canceling many of its original scripted programs. One way the streamer has attempted to carve out a niche for itself is through partnerships with channels and networks to exclusively stream their content, such as WWE wrestling programming, news channels, and NBC Sports.

“As we continue to make Peacock a premium streaming destination, Hallmark is exactly the type of brand we want to align with,” Peacock President Kelly Campbell said in a statement. “Through this groundbreaking partnership, we’re giving Hallmark viewers a unique viewing experience while continuing to grow our audience, boosting engagement across both brands.”

The news also comes while Hallmark, a subsidiary of Crown Media, is facing some new competition in the Christmas programming sphere. Last year saw the relaunch of the Great American Family network as GAC Family, with former Crown Media CEO Bill Abbott leading the network and patterning its programming and format to resemble Hallmark’s (Abbott left Crown Media following a controversy over Hallmark removing advertisements with same-sex couples). The company has since developed contracts with talent that have appeared in Hallmark productions, most prominently with Candace Cameron Bure, who worked with Hallmark for over a decade.

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