Hallmark Movies Now to Become Hallmark+ This Fall; Price Hike, Original Content, Unique Benefits Coming
Hallmark will rebrand and reimagine its streaming service in September, just in time for the network’s annual Countdown to Christmas festivities.
It might just be July, but fans of Hallmark movies and TV shows are getting a present anyway. On Thursday, it was announced that the streaming service currently known as Hallmark Movies Now will undergo a rebrand and will become Hallmark+ in September. While the platform has been home to a handful of streaming exclusives in the past, the reimagined streamer will see an influx of original content, including Hallmark’s first slate of unscripted series, the network’s first holiday limited series, and more original shows and movies. Of course, as is always the case with streamers adding to their libraries, Hallmark+ will see a price increase from its current incarnation’s rates.
Key Details:
- Hallmark Movies Now will be rebranded as Hallmark+ in September.
- Along with original shows and movies, the rebrand will involve a $2 per month price increase.
- Subscribers will also get regular coupons and benefits from Hallmark stores.
Hallmark+ will officially launch in mid-September, and at that time, the service will see a price increase. Hallmark Movies Now currently costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 annually. However, with the rebrand, the price will increase to $7.99 monthly and $79.99 for a full year. But for the extra $2 per month (or $20 for the year), Hallmark will be giving subscribers a full slate of additional content and benefits. In addition to all of the new shows and films that were announced on Thursday, Hallmark+ customers will also receive monthly $5 coupons to the Hallmark Gold Crown Store, as well as unlimited free eCards, shopping rewards, and surprise gifts.
“Hallmark+ marks a seminal moment for Hallmark,” Hallmark president and CEO Mike Perry said. “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.”
Hallmark Movies Now has primarily been used as an inconsistent archive for films and series that have aired on Hallmark, Hallmark Mystery, and Hallmark Family. However, due to various licensing agreements and streaming strategies, there have been large swaths of the network’s titles that have never appeared on the streamer, and newer films often take weeks or months before they arrive on the platform, if they ever do.
However, with the move to Hallmark+, the network is looking to bulk up the service’s library from every imaginable angle. One of the focuses on the reimagined platform will be on original programming, including Hallmark’s first unscripted series, and others that will serve as streaming exclusives. But, it appears that the company will be making a more concerted effort to bring titles that debut on its cable channels to the service as well. Perry said that there will not be any programming that will remain cable exclusives.
“There is an enormous opportunity in streaming,” Perry said. “With what’s happening within the industry, it’s not prudent to just think we’ll be OK on linear cable … There will be [movies and series] that will launch exclusively on linear cable, but then we’ll roll them onto the service.”
In 2022, Peacock, NBCUniversal’s flagship streaming service struck a deal with Hallmark to stream a rotating collection of the channels’ shows and movies on-demand as well as livestreams of all three cable channels. Perry indicated that the expansion of Hallmark+ will not impact the company’s relationship with Peacock.
What New Shows Will Premiere on Hallmark+
Hallmark stars Melissa Peterman and Jonathan Bennett on upcoming reality series “Finding Mr. Christmas” on Hallmark+.
On Thursday, Hallmark announced a slate of new titles coming to the expanded service starting this fall. While Hallmark Movies Now has been the home to streaming exclusive films in the past (even if many of them ended up on linear networks eventually), Hallmark+ will launch its first movie trilogy told from the male perspective with “The Groomsmen.” Inspired by the successful trilogies in the “The Wedding Veil” franchise, these three movies will focus on three lifelong best friends played by Jonathan Bennett, B.J. Britt, and Tyler Hynes who are there to support each other as each walks down the aisle.
Another new show will premiere on Hallmark+ in September as “The Chicken Sisters” will debut in correlation with the streamer’s rebrand. In addition to the previously announced stars — Genevieve Angelson, Schuyler Fisk, Wendie Malick, and Lea Thompson — Margo Martindale has joined the show as the narrator, and Rukiya Bernard, Jake Foy, James Kot, and Ektor Rivera have also been added to the company.
For many people, the Hallmark channel is synonymous with Christmas, and Hallmark+ will take advantage of that reputation by airing its first-ever holiday-themed limited series called “Holidazed.” The show will follow six families from different backgrounds as they overlap throughout the holiday season. Leading the series will be stars from Hallmark films and others from outside the Hallmark cinematic universe, including Erin Cahill, Ian Harding, Dennis Haysbert, John C. McGinley, Holland Roden, and more.
Also gearing up for the holiday season will be the unscripted show “Finding Mr. Christmas” hosted and co-created by Bennett. The competition series will attempt to find Hallmark’s next leading man. Wes Brown will also celebrate the season on “Ready, Set, Glow!” as he travels to find some of the best holiday lighting displays in the world.
Bennett and Brown will not be the only Hallmark stars to lead reality shows for the streamer as the current queen of Hallmark Lacey Chabert will honor real-life heroes in “Celebrations With Lacey Chabert,” which will premiere this fall. Then in the new year, Hallmark favorite Ashley Williams will host “Small Town Setup” as she helps parents find love for their adult children, and Luke Macfarlane will lead “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” as he helped families renovate an important room in their homes.
Hallmark Movies Now
Hallmark Movies Now was a cable-free subscription service that offers thousands of hours of Hallmark’s signature feel-good programming in the form of movies and ongoing series. The service became Hallmark+ in September of 2024.