As Hallmark Channel celebrates its 25th birthday this month, its much younger sibling, the company’s Hallmark+ streaming platform, will turn two on September 10, 2026. Will the streamer keep growing or is it time to call it quits? Here’s everything we know…
Hallmark+ is Succeeding With New Exclusive Series
GettyWith an increasing number of viewers opting to cut the cord on cable TV and turn to streaming, Hallmark transformed its online Hallmark Movies Now service in 2024, launching an increasingly robust streamer with hundreds of original movies and series, exclusive content, and benefits like free greeting cards.
In interviews with multiple industry trades during Hallmark Channel’s birthday week, Hallmark Media president Darren Abbott, who’s also Hallmark’s Chief Brand Officer, said Hallmark+ is a young but mighty part of the family, and it’s not going anywhere.
Every new movie or series that premieres on Hallmark Channel makes its Hallmark+ debut the next day, and remains there for paid subscribers to watch at any time. But the streamer is also becoming known for its exclusive scripted content, like the “When Calls The Heart” prequel series “Hope Valley: 1874,” a huge success for the streamer that’s been renewed for a second season.
HallmarkThough Hallmark doesn’t provide specific subscription numbers, the gritty new Gold Rush-era series starring Hallmark fan-favorites Bethany Joy Lenz and Benjamin Ayres, was the streamer’s biggest launch yet when it premiered in the spring of 2026. The show attracted more than a third of Hallmark+ subscribers, according to The Wrap.
Another new show that’s exclusive to Hallmark+ is Lacey Chabert’s limited series “Paris Is Always a Good Idea,” which premiered in late July and drops a new episode each Thursday through the end of August. According to The Wrap, it’s “one of the streamer’s biggest shows yet,” both in the cost of production (it was filmed entirely in France and Spain) and in viewership. Hallmark told the outlet it attracted nearly as many viewers as “1874” during its first week.
“When you get the content right, people will come over (to the streamer),” Abbott told the outlet. “We know that we consistently deliver really great content that our subscribers see as high value, it gives them something to look forward to. That’s a big part of our strategy going forward for Hallmark+, as we continue to build that out.”
Though Hallmark+ Will Continue, More Original Content is Still Planned for Hallmark Channel
HallmarkSome fans have expressed frustration about having to pay a subscription fee to access archived movies and exclusive shows on Hallmark+, but it’s a similar model to what many networks are now doing to stay afloat, from ABC streaming shows like “Dancing With the Stars” and “American Idol” live on Disney+ to NBCUniversal developing hit series like “Love Island” to stream exclusively on Peacock.
In 2025, the average U.S. household spent $69 per month on streaming services, according to Variety, and that cost is likely to rise in 2026. The regular price for Hallmark+ is $7.99 per month or $79 annually, but a sale running through August 31 offers new subscribers half off a yearly subscription by using the coupon code SUMMERSAVE.
“We feel really good about the trajectory that this business is on,” Abbott told The Wrap, “and as a result of this, it’s allowing us to invest even more into Hallmark+, meaning more exclusive content coming down the road, more unique benefits in our retail network and a more robust member experience across the board.”
Abbott told The Wrap that Hallmark+ will continue to feature exclusive content, but that won’t take away from what fans are also accustomed to watching on its cable channel. This holiday season, even more Christmas movies than last year are planned, with at least 30 in the works, with Abbott acknowledging, “Our fans can’t get enough Christmas movies from us in the fourth quarter.”
