For more than a decade, Hallmark Christmas movies have been a staple of the holiday season. Over the past year, they have become more than just entertainment. They’ve also offered comfort during difficult and often frustrating times.
Hallmark movies’ familiar structure and predictable outcomes are a strength at this time. While you can’t control what’s happening around you, you can predict that the heroine will wind up with the hero at the end (and not with another heroine, at least not yet; for now, you have to go to Netflix and Hulu for same-sex pairings).
So how many Christmas movies are on Hallmark this season and why are they such a big deal?
Hallmark has 40 Christmas movies this year, the same as last year and the year before. That matches an all-time high for the network, which is impressive considering COVID restrictions made production difficult during 2020 and 2021. But once networks found a way to get films made, there has been a steady stream of new content for the channel.
The number of films produced each year has more than quadrupled since 2009, when Hallmark had nine Christmas movies. The total has risen every year since then, as audiences showed insatiable appetite for the films. Since 2009, Hallmark has aired more than 300 Christmas movies (and a handful of Hanukkah films, too).
They are a win-win economic prospect for the channel. They’re relatively cheap to produce, with budgets often under $2 million, and shot in Canada, where tax credits make shooting even less expensive. And they draw in viewers.
During the Christmas season, more than 80 million people watch at least a few minutes of a Hallmark movie, according to Nielsen. Most weeks in November and December, Hallmark ranks as the No. 1 network among the advertiser-friendly demographics of women 18-49 and women 25-54.
That means the channel can charge premium pricing on advertising, as it connects with an in-demand audience at a time when this group is increasingly fragmented. Reaching a lot of them in one place has become challenging for advertisers, as consumers have so many screen options instead of just cable and broadcast, as they did 15 years ago, when Hallmark Channel was in its infancy.
So offering that consistent draw from year to year is a huge boon for advertisers. Previous estimates have found that Hallmark Channel generates a third of its annual ad revenue just from Christmas movies. That equates to more than $350 million.
The franchise has held up well despite increased competition from other cable networks and now streaming networks. The latter have taken advantage of Hallmark movies’ well-documented lack of diversity (the vast majority of movies feature white leads) with movies featuring gay couples and people of color to appeal to the many people who aren’t represented by Hallmark films. Netflix, notably, has aired nearly four dozen Christmas movies the past three years, and the gay rom-com Single All the Way receive buzz this season.
But some networks are simply copying the Hallmark approach. GAC Family, which is run by former Hallmark executive Bill Abbott, aired more than a dozen Christmas films this year, and one starred former Hallmark favorite Lori Loughlin (who Hallmark dropped after her college admittance scandal).
The Economics Of The Hugely Popular Hallmark Christmas Movies - Forbes
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