Hallmark Channel

Hallmark Channel
Country	United States
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Headquarters	Studio City, California
Programming
Language(s)	English; Spanish
Picture format	1080i HDTV; (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner	Hallmark Media
Sister channels	Hallmark Family; Hallmark Mystery
History
Launched	September 1992
Replaced	American Christian Television System (1984–1992); Vision Interfaith Satellite Network (1988–1992);
Former names	VISN/ACTS (1992–1993); Faith & Values Channel (1993–1996); Odyssey Network (1996–2001);
Links
Website	www.hallmarkchannel.com
Availability
Streaming media
Service(s)	Frndly TV, fuboTV, Peacock, Philo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Vidgo, YouTube TV

Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.

The channel has its origins in the religious broadcasters American Christian Television System (ACTS) and the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network (VISN). The two services timeshared on a single satellite signal, which was later rebranded as The Faith & Values Channel in 1993. After Liberty Media acquired a 49% stake in the channel in 1996, it relaunched as the Odyssey Network. As Odyssey, the channel gradually phased out religious programming in favor of family-oriented films and television series—a pivot that intensified after Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company acquired major stakes in the channel in 1998.

In 2001, after a corporate reorganization, Odyssey rebranded as Hallmark Channel. By the 2010s, Hallmark Channel had established a focus on made-for-TV movies—particularly romance films and comedies—themed around specific seasons and holidays throughout the year. The strategy sought to create synergies with Hallmark's core greeting card business, and build upon the strength of the "Countdown to Christmas" programming event it first introduced in 2009.

As of February 2015,^[update] Hallmark Channel was available to approximately 85,439,000 pay television households (73.4% of households with television) in the United States.^[1]

^ Seidman, Robert (February 22, 2015). "List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.

[1] Seidman, Robert (February 22, 2015). "List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.

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