Hallmark Channel

Hallmark Channel

Country	United States
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Headquarters	Studio City, California
Programming
Language(s)	English Spanish
Picture format	1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner	Hallmark Cards
Parent	Hallmark Media
Sister channels	Hallmark Family Hallmark Mystery
History
Launched	September 1992; 32 years ago (1992-09)
Replaced	American Christian Television System (1984–1992) Vision Interfaith Satellite Network (1988–1992)
Former names	VISN/ACTS (1992–1993) Faith & Values Channel (1993–1996) Odyssey Network (1996–2001)
Links
Website	www.hallmarkchannel.com
Availability
Streaming media
Service(s)	Frndly TV, fuboTV, Peacock, Philo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV

Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.

The channel has its origins in the religious broadcasters American Christian Television System (ACTS) and the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network (VISN). The two services timeshared on a single satellite signal, which was later rebranded as The Faith & Values Channel in 1993. After Liberty Media acquired a 49% stake in the channel in 1996, it relaunched as the Odyssey Network. As Odyssey, the channel gradually phased out religious programming in favor of family-oriented films and television series—a pivot that intensified after Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company acquired major stakes in the channel in 1998.

In 2001, after a corporate reorganization, Odyssey rebranded as Hallmark Channel. By the 2010s, Hallmark Channel had established a focus on made-for-TV movies—particularly romance films and comedies—themed around specific seasons and holidays throughout the year. The strategy sought to create synergies with Hallmark's core greeting card business, and build upon the strength of the "Countdown to Christmas" programming event it first introduced in 2009.

In 2019, The New Yorker magazine published an article about the Hallmark Channel and its dominance over North American cable television and the cable industry using Christmas themed movies to gain popularity.^[1] As of November 2023^[update], Hallmark Channel is available to approximately 70,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2015 peak of 90,000,000 households.^[2]