Hallmark Channel Inks Deal with Itv and Catherine Bell to Bring Bell’S ‘The Good Witch’ to Tv As an All-New Original Scripted Series Slated to Air Q1 2015
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
EDITOR’S NOTE: Hallmark Channel has Breaking News, go to www.crownmediapress.com for more images and more information. PREVIOUSLY RELEASED: Contact: Pam Slay, 818-755-2480 February 25, 2014 [email protected] HALLMARK CHANNEL INKS DEAL WITH ITV AND CATHERINE BELL TO BRING BELL’S ‘THE GOOD WITCH’ TO TV AS AN ALL-NEW ORIGINAL SCRIPTED SERIES SLATED TO AIR Q1 2015 Hallmark Channel announces it has inked a deal with ITV Studios America for the Original Scripted Series, “The Good Witch,” starring Catherine Bell (“Army Wives,” “JAG”, “Bruce Almighty”) based on Bell’s beloved character Cassie Nightingale, the raven-haired enchantress who kept audiences spellbound for six installments of the network’s most successful movie franchise of all-time. A seventh film in the franchise, “The Good Witch’s Wonder” premieres on Hallmark Channel on October 25 (9 p.m. ET/PT, 8C). Season one of the TV series, “The Good Witch” will have 10 episodes and begin filming in Canada with a Q1 2015 premiere. In making the announcement, Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel said, “From the moment the first film in ‘The Good Witch’ series premiered, we knew audiences would fall in love with Catherine Bell and this character and want to see more of her. ‘The Good Witch’ franchise has consistently delivered top ratings with the airing of every film, and we expect the highly-anticipated TV series to deliver even more success. “Our audience will be so excited to hear this news. Catherine has been one of the most sought after talents in our industry, and now she has a weekly home on Hallmark Channel,” Vicary concluded. “The Good Witch,” is a Whizbang Films Production. Orly Adelson, Jonathan Eskenas, Frank Siracusa and Craig Pryce are the executive producers. Catherine Bell is co-executive producer. “The Good Witch” is based on characters created by Rod Spence. ITV Studios America controls distribution rights in the world for “The Good Witch” outside of North America. Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 86 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of TV movies; original scripted series, including Cedar Cove and When Calls the Heart; specials such as Kitten Bowl; as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. The channel is also home to Daytime Emmy-nominated lifestyle program, Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library. Crown Media Family Networks is the umbrella unit of Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which houses Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel. The company operates and distributes both channels in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) with Hallmark Channel available to 86 million subscribers in the U.S. and Hallmark Movie Channel in 53 million homes. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies, specials such as Kitten Bowl, as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. Hallmark Channel is also home to original scripted series, (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL / ‘HALLMARK CHANNEL INKS DEAL WITH ITV AND CATHERINE BELL’ – Page 2 including Cedar Cove and When Calls the Heart, and Daytime Emmy-nominated lifestyle program, Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios California lot. Hallmark Movie Channel is one of America’s fastest-growing cable networks and provides family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library. In addition, Crown Media Family Networks includes the online offerings of HallmarkChannel.com and HallmarkMovieChannel.com. TWITTER: @HallmarkChannel, @reallycb, #TheGoodWitch Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter (Join the conversation at #HeartofTV), Pinterest, GetGlue, YouTube --HALLMARK CHANNEL-- .