Hallmark+ adds live channels, but probably not the ones you want
Hallmark+ adds live channels, but probably not the ones you want
The rom-com streamer is beta testing three around-the-clock channels focused on some of the brand’s biggest genres.
As more and more streaming services are discovering, sometimes, the overwhelming depth and breadth of a platform’s library can cause a certain level of decision paralysis amongst viewers. If your archive has thousands upon thousands of shows and movies, it can be difficult for users to settle on what to watch, even if they came to your platform wanting to watch the type of titles you offer. To meet those indecisive viewers where they are, many streamers have started employing linear channels as alternatives to their traditional on-demand offerings. The latest service to join the trend is Hallmark+, which this week launched three live channel beta tests.
Key Details:
- More than a majority: Seventy-five percent of respondents report waiting for a movie to stream instead of seeing it in theaters.
- Not completely abandoned: Sixty-five percent said they had been to at least one movie in a theater in the past year.
- Watching wallets: Almost half of the respondents are upset with the cost of TV and streaming.
As is often my evening practice, on Wednesday night, I logged into Hallmark+ to catch up on a few comfy rom-coms that I recently missed, and immediately noticed something different. Underneath the top carousel of shows and movies, there were three large icons promoting beta tests for “live” linear channels. The first option was “Non-Stop Mysteries,” followed by “Non-Stop When Calls the Heart,” and finally “Non-Stop Christmas.”
Exploring the channels, a few things immediately stood out to me. First, these are not live-streams of Hallmark’s cable networks, the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, and Hallmark Family. Instead, these are around-the-clock channels focused specifically on the respective theme of the channel. While none of them include ads (Hallmark+ does not yet have an ad-supported option), they function very similarly to how free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels do on other platforms.
The titles air 24/7 with one movie or episode leading directly into the next. The Streamable has reached out to Hallmark to get an idea as to how those channels are programmed. While the channel running non-stop episodes of “When Calls the Heart” is easy to nail down, as those episodes appear to air in sequential order, the Mystery and Christmas channels do not have as an immediately obvious schedule. If we hear back from the network, we will update this article with details.
One nice feature on the channels is that you can rewind he current title for how long you have been watching it. Unfortunately, you cannot pause the title, but you can rewind to something that you missed, and then fast-forward to catch up if you would like.
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Once you do rewind or fast-forward to the exact spot that you want to pick up watching, Hallmark+ will automatically include closed captioning for 10 seconds to allow you to get back into the action without having to worry about missing anything as you stop navigating the video.
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While these new viewing options will give subscribers even more streaming options, they are not the same as watching Hallmark’s cable channels, which have long been something that audiences have clamored for inside the Hallmark+ app. During the two and a half years that Hallmark partnered with Peacock, subscribers to the NBCUniversal streamer were able to watch the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, and Hallmark Family in addition to the rotating selection of on-demand titles.
However, when that partnership ended earlier this year, there became no way for Hallmark fans to stream the channels without a cable, satellite, or live TV streaming subscription. That was almost certainly done by design, and likely will not change anytime soon.
Although the impact of cable television has been steadily eroded in recent years, Hallmark is still a significant player in the space, generally leading the non-sports ratings on daily, weekly, and annual bases. Therefore, by giving customers options to stream the channels live and to watch new movies as soon as they air without having to engage in the traditional TV infrastructure, Hallmark is undercutting one of its most powerful (and profitable) partners.
In recent years, Hallmark executives have told me that they want to have “a more reciprocal relationship” between its broadcast and streaming partners. That is why Hallmark has recently expanded its partnership with Netflix and is beta testing always-on channels that don’t infringe upon traditional TV’s purview.
Hallmark+
Hallmark+ is 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. Nearly all media found on the service is exclusive to the Hallmark brand, created either specifically for Hallmark+, or pulled from another source such as Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, or Hallmark Family. The service can be added as a channel to Prime Video.