'Walker' Also Going to Air on The Hallmark Channel starting Oct. 2004

[Pavan]

Hallmark will share the rights with USA Network, which has been running the series since 1997. The agreement with Hallmark allows them to air the series between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., wiith USA Network airing it anywhere between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.



Hallmark ponies up $30 mil for Walker'


John Dempsey, STAFF

NEW YORK -- The Hallmark Channel will pony up about $30 million to buy non-exclusive cable TV rights to Sony Pictures TV's "Walker, Texas Ranger."

Dave Kenin, executive VP of programming for Hallmark Channel, declined to comment on the license fee but said he plans to begin running "Walker" in October every evening at 6 and 7 as counterprogramming to the newscasts, sitcoms, gameshows and magazine shows that TV stations schedule during those two hours.

As previously announced, Hallmark also takes title to reruns of Paramount TV's "JAG" this fall for stripping weeknights at 8. But Kenin said Hallmark has just negotiated an extension of its "JAG" deal that will give it a run of each week's fresh episode within a few days of its play on CBS' primetime schedule.

The USA network also has long-term deals for "Walker" and "JAG" that will run simultaneously with their Hallmark plays. Hallmark will pay more for "JAG," which costs about $200,000 an hour, in toto, because its reruns haven't had as many plays on USA as "Walker," which is fetching $150,000 or so an episode. (Back in the mid-to-late '90s, USA paid $750,000 an episode of "JAG" and $725,000 per for "Walker.")

Along with Twentieth TV's "MASH," "Walker" and "JAG" are the most expensive off-network series Hallmark has ever bought.

Kenin is counting on "Walker" and "JAG" to keep Hallmark's Nielsen momentum going. For the first quarter of 2004, Hallmark's ratings shot up by 52% in total viewers compared the same period a year ago. Among adults 25-54, Hallmark was up by 40% in the first quarter. It was up 20% in adults 18-49 and up 22% in 18-34, also in the first quarter.

And in the past year, Hallmark Channel added 8.8 million subscribers, swelling its total to 60.6 million and making it the third fastest-growing cable network in the U.S. (behind only the TV Guide Channel and Discovery Health).