Talk about corporate synergy: A membership to Hallmark Media’s new streaming-video service, Hallmark+ (another plus!), will come with free greeting cards.
The replacement to Hallmark Movies Now will have a higher price tag for its mid-September launch — $7.99 per month vs. $5.99 — but it will also have more content and more perks. Hallmark+ will have hundreds of Hallmark holiday films, but also reality shows and docuseries, the company announced Thursday at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour.
“We’re always looking for new ways to expand our content and grow our audiences while staying true to the Hallmark brand that people know and love,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, the EVP of programming for Hallmark Media. “Our unscripted slate is inspiring, heartwarming, and entertaining, with a fresh authenticity so true to Hallmark’s DNA.”
The Hallmark+ perks will include monthly $5 Hallmark Gold Crown Store coupons and free unlimited eCards, as well as “rewards for shopping” and “surprise gifts.”
“Hallmark+ marks a seminal moment for Hallmark,” Mike Perry, the president & CEO of Hallmark, said in a statement. “By intertwining new, rich content experiences with tangible rewards and premium Hallmark gifts, we are delivering a unique, new program that reflects our commitment to spreading joy through our deeply beloved brand touchpoints.”
And if that’s not enough, bring on the “Hallmark hunks.” You read that right.
Hallmark’s first-ever reality competition series, “Finding Mr. Christmas,” will “follow 10 promising Hallmark ‘hunks’ who live together and compete against one another for the lead role in an upcoming original holiday movie,” the streamer said. There will be “festive physical challenges” as well as “emotional acting scenes” to determine the winner. “Finding Mr. Christmas” is created by Jonathan Bennett, who will also executive produce and host the eight-episode series premiering this fall. The winner’s film will premiere in time for this year’s “Countdown to Christmas.”
There’s also some other new stuff exclusive to Hallmark+, like the launch window’s “Celebrations with Lacey Chabert” (pictured above). It’s all very sweet and very caring and very Hallmark — but let’s be honest, your brain is probably already filled to capacity by “Finding Mr. Christmas.”
