Great American Family, the new network started by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott, broke records during the first weekend of its Christmas programming.
“Not all Christmas movies are created equal,” wrote Abbott in a post on Twitter. “We understand better than anybody how to produce quality Christmas movies and that, great content wins. Viewers have found that in our #GreatAmericanChristmas programming event on #GreatAmericanFamily!#DestinedAtChristmas.”
Not all Christmas movies are created equal. We understand better than anybody how to produce quality Christmas movies and that, great content wins. Viewers have found that in our #GreatAmericanChristmas programming event on #GreatAmericanFamily! 🎄🎬#DestinedAtChristmas pic.twitter.com/ieL6wPR1Nq
— Bill Abbott (@billabbottHC) October 27, 2022
Great American Family
The new network, which was launched in September 2021, started its Great American Christmas lineup with the original movie Destined at Christmas. The movie had .54M total viewers in its premiere and just shy of 1 million total viewers over the weekend, according to Nielsen ratings. It was the highest-rated premiere for the network. The movie also beat out Hallmark Movies and Mysteries programming on Saturday among women ages 25 to 54.
“Great movie,” wrote a fan on Great American Family’s Facebook page, “not the same story line as most Hallmark movies.”
“This was an amazing and romantic movie!!!” another wrote. “Thank you!!”
Destined at Christmas
The first new movie to premiere in the Great American Christmas lineup starred Shae Robbins and Casey Elliott as two strangers who meet during a power outage while doing their Black Friday shopping. They can’t stop thinking about each other. With the help of a little Christmas magic, they are reunited.
Destined at Christmas is one of 18 new Christmas movies to air on Great American Family. Others include A Merry Christmas Wish, starring Jill Wagner and Cameron Mathison; Christmas at the Drive-In, starring Danica McKellar and Neal Bledsoe; and I’m Glad It’s Christmas, Jessica Lowndes, Paul Greene, and Gladys Knight.
Candace Cameron Bure made headlines when she announced she had partnered with the network to produce and star in content. Her Christmas movie, Candace Cameron Bure Presents: A Christmas…Present, will premiere in November.
During a March 2022 interview, Abbott talked about his two new networks, Great American Family and Great American Living, and his attempt to expand the realm of family-friendly programming on television.
“Not all rom-coms are created equal,” Abbott said. “Just because someone makes a rom-com doesn’t mean that it has a lot of heart and emotion.”
For a full schedule of the new movies premiering during Great American Christmas, click here.