TORONTO – A festive punch of holiday-themed programming is paying off for Corus Entertainment’s W Network which has grabbed the top spot among specialty channels since the start of its ‘Countdown to Christmas’ initiative last month.
With significant audience growth year over year – up by 68% for W25-54, 61% for A25-54, and 101% for A18-34 – the programming stunt continues to drive viewership throughout the month of December, says Corus, citing Numeris data. Home to the most-watched specialty movies in Canada for six consecutive weeks (A25-54, W25-54, 2+), Hallmark Channel movies on W also hold multiple positions among the Top 10 specialty entertainment programs, with Christmas at Pemberley Manor, Christmas Everlasting, and Christmas Next Door (pictured) as its highest rated movie premieres to date (2+).
W Network is also the #1 most watched network in Canada on weekends, surpassing conventional and sports, Corus added.
“We’re thrilled to have formed a strategic partnership with Hallmark Channel to bring the best of their content to Canadian audiences,” said Corus’ SVP of specialty Daniel Eves, in the news release. “We knew this programming would resonate with our viewers, and we’ve over-delivered on that promise with the success of Countdown to Christmas. We look forward to building on that momentum with continued programming stunts throughout the year.”
Following the holidays, W Network will present five other Hallmark Channel-branded seasonal programming stunts including: ‘Winterfest’, ‘Countdown to Valentine’s Day’, ‘Spring Fever’, ‘June Weddings’, ‘Summer Nights’, and ‘Fall Harvest’.
