Crown Media Holdings, DIRECTV in Multi-Year Renewal Deal

STUDIO CITY, March 5: Crown
Media Holdings has renewed a distribution agreement for its Hallmark Channel
with DIRECTV for a multi-year term.

DIRECTV currently
distributes Hallmark Channel to nearly 15 million homes. Additionally, DIRECTV
will have the right to distribute the standard-definition and high-definition
versions of Hallmark Movie Channel.

“We are very happy to
announce this renewal of our affiliation agreement with DIRECTV, the
second-largest distributor of our programming and one of Crown Media’s most
important partners in contributing to our ability to provide quality family
friendly programming,” said Henry Schleiff, the president and CEO of Crown
Media Holdings. “Clearly, this agreement reflects both DIRECTV’s and Crown
Media’s emphasis on quality, fair price and service to our respective
subscribers and viewers.”

“Hallmark Channel
continues to be an important programming staple for DIRECTV families and we’re
pleased to extend our relationship,” said Derek Chang, the executive VP of
content strategy and development at DIRECTV. “Crown Media has set a high
standard for quality, family-oriented programming and that is reflected in the
channel’s consistently high viewership.”

—By Irene Lew