tv channel . for the channel outside of the u.s. see hallmark channel international . hallmark channel launched 1984 ; 32 years ago 1984 as acts july 1 1988 ; 28 years ago 1988 07 01 as visn 1992 ; 24 years ago 1992 merger of visn acts 1993 ; 23 years ago 1993 as faith & values channel 1996 ; 20 years ago 1996 as odyssey network august 5 2001 ; 15 years ago 2001 08 05 as hallmark channel owned by crown media holdings picture format 1080i hdtv downgraded to letterboxed 480i for sdtv feed slogan the heart of tv country united states language english broadcast area nationwide headquarters studio city california formerly called american christian television system 1984 1992 vision interfaith satellite network 1988 1992 visn acts 1992 1993 faith & values channel 1993 1996 odyssey network 1996 2001 sister channel s hallmark movies & mysteries website www.hallmarkchannel.com availability satellite directv 1312 312 sd dish network 185 cable time warner cable 123 at & t u verse 1365 365 sd iptv verizon fios 740 240 sd at & t u verse 1365 365 sd the hallmark channel is an american cable and satellite television network that is owned by crown media holdings which is majority owned by hallmark cards . the channel s programming is primarily targeted at families and features a mix of television movies and miniseries original and acquired television series and lifestyle programs . as of february 2015 hallmark channel is available to approximately 85 439 000 pay television households 73.4 % of households with television in the united states . 1 contents 1 history 1.1 history as hallmark channel 2 programming 2.1 original movies 2.2 holiday programming 3 website 3.1 on location 3.2 online movie shop 4 advertising 5 controversies 5.1 carriage disputes 6 hallmark channel around the world 7 network slogans 8 see also 9 references 10 external links history edit main articles vision interfaith satellite network and american christian television system the hallmark channel traces its history to the launch of two separate religious cable channels the american christian television system acts and the vision interfaith satellite network visn . the two networks began alternating time on a shared transponder slot on the galaxy iii satellite in 1992 . 2 under the original timeshare agreement the network was branded as visn acts . each network was provided time for its programming blocks and would use their own logos . logo as odyssey network from 1996 to 2001 . visn launched on july 1 1988 and was founded by the national interfaith cable coalition in cooperation with several cable providers . 3 it aired for about 16 hours a day and ran religious programs from mainline protestant denominations such as the united methodist church the evangelical lutheran church in america and the united church of christ . roman catholic lds church jewish and islamic faiths also provided programming . 4 visn aired during the morning and evening hours . acts commenced operations in 1984 and was owned by the southern baptist convention . it aired programming from evangelical and fundamentalist non charismatic christian groups such as the sbc the christian reformed church and the association of regular baptist churches as well as well known evangelists such as jerry falwell charles stanley and d. james kennedy . both channels aired several hours a week of religious children s programs some of which overlapped including sunshine factory joy junction davey and goliath and jot . in 1993 the network was renamed as the faith and values channel . it began adding a few secular programs during this time such as exercise shows health and cooking shows and family oriented drama series and movies . in 1995 cable conglomerate tele communications inc. acquired a 49 % ownership stake in the faith and values channel and took over operational control of the network . it added more secular programming to the network and reduced religious programming to about 10 hours a day . in 1996 the network was rebranded as the odyssey network although on air promotions often referred to the network simply as odyssey and launched a website odysseyfamily.com which was used to provide program listings for the network . crown media holdings and the jim henson company bought majority stakes in odyssey in november 1998 ; under the new venture odyssey underwent a major programming revamp on april 4 1999 decreasing the amount of religious programs on the network down to four hours a day . the channel began to focus more on family targeted entertainment programming including some classic sitcoms children s programs and additional family oriented movies . henson sold its interest in the channel to crown media holdings in 2000 . odyssey then dropped much of its children s programs and relegated religious programming to a few hours on sundays . history as hallmark channel edit on august 5 2001 the channel underwent yet another rebranding relaunching as the hallmark channel . 5 the restructured network completely dropped religious programming but continued to focus on family oriented sitcoms and drama series dramatic films and other general entertainment programs . the national interfaith cable coalition continued to own about 5 % of the channel and continues to produce some program content for hallmark channel . 6 the change resulted in the kermit channel in asia which crown media acquired around the same time being relaunched under the hallmark channel brand reducing kermit channel to a three hour program block on that network . 7 hallmark channel s headquarters in studio city california . david evans was appointed as ceo of the newly developing network until he resigned in may 2006 . 8 the network remained without a formal ceo until october 2006 when former court tv chairman and ceo henry schleiff was appointed in the position overseeing all of the networks divisions . 9 10 in 2002 the hallmark channel premiered a weekday morning talk show new morning ; a sunday morning version hosted by naomi judd titled naomi s new morning debuted in 2005 and lasted two years before being pulled from the schedule in early 2007 . in january 2007 hallmark channel dropped the hallmark crown from its logo although it is still used sporadically on air in promos and on its services in other countries . on may 27 2007 hallmark channel launched watch with me a new national public affairs initiative aimed to promote programming for families to watch together and to spend more time together . 5 in 2008 hallmark channel unveiled a new branding campaign with predominantly gold coloring a stylized logo and a new slogan make yourself at home . in february 2008 the hillary clinton presidential campaign purchased an hour of hallmark channel s primetime slots under a paid programming arrangement to run a special promoting clinton s campaign for president of the united states on february 4 the day before the multi state super tuesday primaries . 11 henry schlieff stepped down as the channel s ceo on may 6 2009 with william j. abbott being promoted to the role from his position as executive vice president of advertising sales . both parties said schleiff s departure was amicable . 12 later that month crown media holdings announced that it had put the channel up for sale as the company was burdened with over 1 billion in debt in running the network . after over a month with no prospective buyer crown media took the network off the selling block with the board blaming the large debt for the lack of interest . abbott decided that crown media holdings would take the network in a younger lighter direction while continuing to cater to baby boomers . 13 in january 2010 the network s on air appearance was revamped in preparation for the launch of its high definition simulcast feed featuring a predominantly lavender color scheme 3d renderings of the hallmark script logo and relatively simple elements for its graphics package and the introduction of a new slogan celebrate life s moments . the channel also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the hallmark brand that month . programming edit main article list of programs broadcast by hallmark channel hallmark channel s programming consists of classic and some recent television series and original made for tv movies . it also airs television movies and miniseries from the hallmark hall of fame anthology series . many of the hallmark hall of fame films broadcast by the network were originally broadcast during its cbs run ; the network currently airs hall of fame films on a two week delay from their original broadcast on abc which began airing the anthology series in april 2011 . original programs broadcast on the network include the daytime talk show home and family which originated on abc family as the family channel in april 1996 and when calls the heart which is based on the novels by janette oke . the network s original programming originally consisted mainly of lifestyle programs and made for tv movies ; hallmark channel debuted its first original scripted series in july 2013 with the premiere of cedar cove which is based on the novels by debbie macomber . on february 2 2014 the hallmark channel partnered with new york s north shore animal league and last hope animal rescue to debut the kitten bowl during super bowl xlviii . the event hosted by beth stern and announcers john sterling and mary carillo is designed as counterprogramming to the super bowl and airs during the game s halftime show and is similar to another animal themed event that debuted nine years earlier on animal planet the puppy bowl . kitten bowl ii returned on february 1 2015 and was watched by 1.3 million viewers . 14 kitten bowl iii was back again on february 7 2016 . 15 kitten bowl iv will air on february 5 2017 . citation needed original movies edit main article list of hallmark channel original movies the network s made for tv movies are characterized as family friendly and inspirational ranging from holiday themed films to westerns . in the early stages of the channel s development hallmark channel had a steady one movie a month or 12 a year production schedule with the films mainly being produced by rhi entertainment . however in 2008 crown media had ramped up its production schedule to approximately 30 movies a year and opened up to other production companies though rhi still produces some movies for hallmark channel . 16 the network premiered 35 original movies during the period from 2009 to 2010 . 17 hallmark channel released 25 television movies during the 2011 calendar year . holiday programming edit from the first weekend in november until january 1 hallmark channel runs a seasonal block called countdown to christmas featuring a mix of holiday movies specials and holiday themed original programming . the block is branded as countdown to new years from december 26 until january 1 and culminates with the channel s broadcast of the tournament of roses parade . hallmark channel also airs christmas movies during july as part of a christmas in july block ; christmas themed programming thus runs for nearly three months of the year on the channel . other seasonal events programmed by hallmark channel include romance themed movies and specials that air during the first half of february in the lead up to valentine s day ; movies and specials relating to mother s day and father s day respectively air during may and june ; and halloween themed movies and specials among which include the channel s the good witch film series during the month of october . website edit on november 19 2007 the network refreshed its website offering users microsites dedicated to the channel s original programming and marketing initiatives 5 such as sweepstakes and special events like crime time sunday . 18 some