Cue the Christmas Music: Hallmark Is Finally Joining the Streaming Fray

Streaming has decimated the audience for entertainment-focused cable networks, with one major exception: the Hallmark Channel.

Hallmark’s viewers tend to be older and ultraloyal. And the family-owned company has kept viewership high for the gingerbread-scented programming on its traditional channel by largely staying out of the streaming business.

But even one of the most old-fashioned corners of Hollywood must evolve.

On Thursday, Hallmark said it would introduce a stand-alone streaming service. It will be called Hallmark+ and arrive in September for $8 a month. As part of the push, Hallmark is expanding into holiday-themed mini-series and reality competition shows, including one called “Finding Mr. Christmas.” (In a racy episode, at least by Hallmark standards, the “Hallmark Hunks” strip off their Christmas sweaters, albeit briefly.)

Hallmark+ subscribers will have on-demand access to old content; almost 300 Hallmark Christmas films have aired since 2002. The ad-free service will also offer exclusive new programming — shows like “The Chicken Sisters,” adapted from the best-selling book and described by Hallmark as “a family drama dipped in Southern charm and served up with a saucy side of romance.”

Hallmark+ membership will also come with a range of perks, including monthly $5 coupons for Hallmark Gold Crown stores, free greeting cards, exclusive access to Hallmark’s growing roster of live experiences (themed cruises, star meet-and-greets) and free “surprise” gifts (an exclusive Christmas ornament, for instance).

“This is a seminal moment for us,” Mike Perry, the president and chief executive of Hallmark, said in a Zoom interview. “We continue to be committed to linear cable, which is going to be a good business for us for a long time. But there is an enormous opportunity in streaming, in part because of the strength of our brand and the unique way we are combining Hallmark+ with membership rewards — connecting our business segments in ways they haven’t recently been.”