Hallmark Hall of Fame Movies Move to ABC

KANSAS CITY: Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movies, which have been airing on the CBS network for 16 years, will be making the move to ABC beginning with the 2011-12 season, with encore runs on the Hallmark Channel.

The first Hallmark Hall of Fame title to air on ABC will be Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith, based on the author’s best-selling book. Albom also wrote the screenplay for the film, currently shooting in Michigan by Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions for broadcast before Christmas. The cast includes Laurence Fishburne, Bradley Whitford and Martin Landau.

Hallmark Channel will air the TV movies a week after the ABC premieres, with four encore broadcasts over a week-long period. "This will bring even more exceptional, high-profile programming to our audience, and increase the viewership and impact of the Hallmark Hall of Fame series," said Bill Abbott, the president of Crown Media Networks.

Over the course of 60 years, Hallmark Hall of Fame films have aired on ABC, NBC and, most recently, over a 16-year period on CBS. Hallmark Hall of Fame began negotiations with ABC last year after failing to come to terms on a new agreement with CBS.

"We’re delighted our movies will premiere exclusively on ABC starting with our 61st television season," said Brad Moore, president of Hallmark Hall of Fame. "Since our very first talks with ABC last year we’ve looked forward to this announcement. Our agreement to follow ABC premieres with encores on Hallmark Channel is an exciting, unprecedented use of broadcast and cable."