TV

The holidays arrive early on Hallmark

That most wonderful time of the year has already arrived — at least on Hallmark Channel.

With eight weeks left before Christmas — and three weeks until Thanksgiving — Hallmark has already fired up its annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming slate.

While other networks have just aired the last of their Halloween episodes, Hallmark premiered “The Thanksgiving House” last Saturday.

And that’s only the first of 12 original movies airing between now and Dec. 25.

Candace Cameron Bure in “Let It Snow.”

Most networks tend to wait until the end of November to jump-start their holiday programming — but Christmas, it seems, can’t come early enough for Hallmark.

“We just hear from our viewers that they have such a high appetite for this content and this programming that they want us to start really right after Halloween,” says Bill Abbott, CEO of Crown Media Family Networks (which includes Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel).

And, Abbott says, there’s another reason Hallmark rolls out its Christmas programming so early — to tie into the holiday season in its Hallmark retail stores, which are rolling out Christmas cards, etc.

“That gives us the latitude to play in the space a lot earlier than typically we might if we were not attached to a brand,” says Abbott.

“Countdown to Christmas” is also a hit with viewers, with ratings for Hallmark’s new original holiday movies rising each of the past three years — from a 2.1 rating in 2010 to a 2.6 rating in 2012.

Last year, the campaign helped Hallmark rank as the top-rated [cable] network on the weekends in total viewers (in prime time). Indeed, the holidays are the highest-rated period at the network, with its feelgood brand of programming playing into the spirit of the season. And since Hallmark’s first original series, “Cedar Cove” — starring Andie MacDowell — has pulled strong ratings on Saturdays this fall, that will likely boost viewership for this year’s “Countdown” slate.

While Hallmark isn’t the only cable network promoting Christmas-themed programming, it is the earliest to do so.

Lifetime is also getting a bit of a head start with the first of five new holiday movies — “A Country Christmas Story” starring Dolly Parton — premiering this Saturday. ABC Family has its annual “25 Days of Christmas” stunt in December, and will air its own countdown Nov. 20-30, including the new original movie, “Christmas Bounty,” on Nov. 26.

Hallmark Channel will premiere at least one new movie each weekend now through Dec. 25. Next up is “Pete’s Christmas” on Nov. 8, “Snow Bride” on Nov. 9 and “A Very Merry Mix- Up” on Nov. 10.

Rather condense your Yuletide cheer? Hallmark will air all 12 of this year’s movies back to back in a 24-hour marathon starting at 6 a.m. on Christmas Day.