Hallmark junkies are well aware of all the media available from their favorite content producer.
We have three cable networks, including Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, and Hallmark Drama. There is also a standalone service, Hallmark Movies Now.
Today, it was revealed that Hallmark Movies Now will become Hallmark+ this fall, and with that change comes additional content Hallmarks will be eager to see.
With every other major player in the industry going the plus route, it seems like a perfect time for Hallmark Media to embrace the change.
But what will the new service look like?
To begin with, there will be a slight price increase. HMN plants start at $5.99 per month or $59.99 a year, and Hallmark+ will start at $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year.
Will the modest increase be worth it? When you see this lineup, you can decide.
First of all, in addition to great content, you’ll be awarded exclusive benefits and rewards, including $5 per month for the Hallmark Gold Crown Store, free unlimited gift cards, shopping rewards, and other surprise gifts (an exclusive Christmas ornament, anyone?).
It’s also possible that these perks could flow over to other avenues, including the Hallmark Christmas cruise and other live events. If they offer wine discounts outside of the Wine Club, I’m all in!
I can’t think of another streaming service that offers that kind of added benefit.
Content-wise, Hallmark+ will include exclusives you cannot find anywhere else.
A new movie trilogy in the vein of The Wedding Veil will encapsulate three best friends who stand up for each other in The Groomsmen. The lifelong besties will be portrayed by Tyler Hynes, Jonathan Bennett, and B.J. Britt.
That’s worth the price right there!
Additional treats include a holiday limited series titled Holidazed, which follows six diverse families who come together for the holidays.
The cast includes Dennis Haysbert, Erin Cahill, Holland Rosen, John C. McKinley, Ian Harding, and others to be revealed later.
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Jonathan Bennett, who has become a well-versed competition show host elsewhere, will use his rizz to host Finding Mr. Christmas, which will find viewers watching the search for Hallmark’s next leading man. Melissa Peterman joins him in this special search.
The New York Times reports that you can expect the competition to be pretty fierce… including some bare chests. We rarely see those on Hallmark, but we’re not going to complain!
Lacey Chabert’s Celebration With Lacey Chabert will honor real-life heroes, and Wes Brown will try out hosting on Ready, Set, Glow, where he, you guessed it, visits some of the most impressive holiday displays and the people who bring them to life.
Ashley Williams will host Small Town Setup in 2025, in which parents play matchmaker for their adult kids, and Luke Macfarlane will help families renovate cherished rooms in Home Is Where the Heart Is.
The already-announced adaptation of The Chicken Sisters launches on Hallmark+ in mid-September, and the cast has been expanded.
Margo Martindale will be serving as the narrator, and James Lot, Rukiya Bernard, Ektor Rivera, and Jake Foy will be along for the ride.
Of course, the app also offers a wealth of historical content, but don’t expect to find current Hallmark favorites among the lineup, as you do with HBO on Max.
This will be a standalone service with its own content, so you’ll still need cable, a streaming package, Peacock, or FrndlyTV to catch what’s on the linear channels.
“The short answer is no,” Mike Perry, President and Chief Executive of Hallmark, told the NYT in an interview. “There will be things that will launch exclusively on linear cable, but then we’ll roll them onto the service.”
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If others have been in the game for longer, don’t count out Hallmark Media in the streaming game. While people are cutting back across the board on such services, the fanbase suggests that there is always more room for more when it comes to Hallmark.
Will that be the case? It seems they’re about to find out.