Hallmark titles are set to leave Peacock beginning in May
Hallmark titles are set to leave Peacock beginning in May
The move makes Hallmark+ the only place for fans to stream the feel-good rom-coms, cozy mysteries, and holiday movies.
Fans of feel-good series and movies will have fewer streaming options starting next month, as the deal between NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock and Hallmark will come to an end. After two and a half years of Hallmark’s rom-coms, cozy mysteries, and holiday originals appearing on the platform, the titles will exit Peacock on May 1, making the company’s in-house streamer Hallmark+ the primary place for fans to stream the shows and movies year-round.
Key Details:
- Send a thank you card: After two and a half years, Hallmark content will exit Peacock next week.
- Pivot, pivot: Fans looking to stream Hallmark titles will need to sign up for Hallmark+.
- Back to cable?:Hallmark+ currently does not offer simulstreams of Hallmark cable channels, like Peacock does.
The news of Hallmark content’s imminent departure from the NBCU streamer was originally reported by Vulture’s Josef Adalian on social media platform Bluesky. Hallmark and Peacock’s partnership began in November 2022 in a move that I believed was one of NBCU's best concerning the streamer, which was still struggling to find its footing at the time.
Peacock became the first place where viewers could stream Hallmark movies the next day after their initial airings on Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, or Hallmark Family (although the latter channel no longer premieres original films). Hallmark movies were initially available to stream for 72 hours after their premiere, and Peacock also had a rotating selection of seasonally appropriate Hallmark movies available every month for fans who needed more to stream.
Additionally, Peacock carried live simulstreams of all three Hallmark channels, allowing users without a cable or satellite subscription to watch shows and movies as they premiered. However, during Hallmark’s tenure on Peacock, the company substantially adjusted its streaming philosophy and capabilities.
When Hallmark initially partnered with Peacock in 2022, its own streaming service was known as Hallmark Movies Now and mostly served as a library for older Hallmark movies, with very few next-day and recent titles available to stream. However, last year, the greeting card-turned-cable giant overhauled the platform, turning it into Hallmark+. Now, not only do new films stream on the service the day after their initial airings, but the library has been massively expanded, it carries significantly more streaming exclusives, and the company has added new types of programming, especially with unscripted shows featuring beloved Hallmark stars.
For fans who subscribe to Peacock specifically for Hallmark content, fortunately, there won’t be a major price change to move over to Hallmark+. Peacock’s ad-supported Premium tier costs $8 per month, with its ad-free Premium Plus option running $14 monthly. However, Hallmark+ currently only offers an ad-free subscription option for $8 per month.
One of the reasons that Hallmark’s more open-armed adoption of streaming is so noteworthy is that the company had long wanted to maintain the value of its channels. As one of the consistently most-watched channels on cable, Hallmark had been hesitant to do anything that could undermine the carriage fees that it negotiates with channel distributors. However, as cable viewership continues to erode at an alarming pace, the company is slowly pivoting to a more reciprocal relationship between its cable and streaming operations.
The one downside to exiting Peacock is that Hallmark+ currently does not offer livestreams of the company’s cable channels. While that could change in the future, it could also be seen as an olive branch to cable and satellite distributors who are now, once again, the only place for fans to watch the initial broadcasts of new films and TV episodes.
Either way, by seemingly putting even more of its eggs in its own basket, it is clear that Hallmark is embracing a future that is built more around its own distribution models than simply relying on traditional cable or external partners to bring fans the titles and programming that they love.
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.