(See also: Bachelor Nation.) Things came to a head in December 2019 when, under Abbott’s watch, Hallmark Channel pulled advertising that included a lesbian couple, telling the sponsor that an ad showing women in love with each other had run afoul of a policy against “controversial” content. While Hallmark’s ratings and financial success during his tenure are undeniable, Abbott’s go-slow approach to diversifying the network’s extremely vanilla programming - at a time when most other platforms were pushing to expand inclusion efforts - often made Hallmark the subject of pained criticism, even among fans of the channel. The channel is the brainchild of Bill Abbott, a respected TV-industry veteran best known for his role in helping turn Hallmark into one of cable’s most powerful and successful brands. Over in streaming, Netflix is adding more international flavor to its usual packed slate of Yuletide offerings, while ad-supported players such as IMDb TV, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Tubi have jumped into the space with first-run movies of their own.Īnd then there’s the curious case of GAC Family, a new cable network that has the backing of an investor group with ties to former president Donald Trump, and that appears to be positioning itself as a destination for viewers who think Hallmark holiday movies are too edgy. Hallmark Channel and Lifetime, the reigning champs of the season, are as packed as ever with original holiday films.
The holidays are (almost) here - and so is the ever more competitive war for Christmas movie viewers.