Christ Yoder
Related Articles
For the past eight years, those who didn’t watch football on Super Bowl Sunday had the comforting option of seeing kittens rolling around on the turf for three hours instead. That tradition, Hallmark’s annual Kitten Bowl, will not continue this year, and GAC Media is considering acquiring the program, Variety learned exclusively.
“While we are not currently developing original animal-centric programming, Hallmark Channel is pleased to support partners such as North Shore Animal League America as part of our commitment to social responsibility initiatives,” a representative from the Hallmark Channel shared. network via Facebook on Saturday, February 1. 5, when a fan inquired about the event previously named as “the nation’s top-rated rescue pet adoption event of the year.”
Shortly after the remark, former president and CEO of Hallmark’s parent company Crown Media, Bill Abbott, shared his disappointment on Twitter. “Kitten Bowl was a passion project that everyone involved will always be deeply proud to have been part of. Grateful that we were able to find homes for so many furs for so many people,” he wrote on Sunday, February 6. “Please continue to support Animal League in its mission to find all those home-loving animals. #GetYourRescueOn and #adopt-a-four-legged-friend!”
Abbott left Crown Media in 2020 after 11 years and subsequently acquired GAC, formerly Great American Country. The company was split into two brands, GAC Family and GAC Living, and launched in September 2021.
The Kitten Bowl was an important part of Abbott’s tenure with the network, as he worked closely with host and attorney Beth Stern on the annual event. Additionally, animal shelters across the country held adoption events over Super Bowl weekend in conjunction with the television special, resulting in more than 75,000 pets finding a home. foyer.
“Shelters are really upset,” said an insider Varietywhile another adds that Abbott is considering whether it is possible to bring the Kitten Bowl to GAC.
“Hallmark is going in a different direction, so that certainly opens up the opportunity for,” the source notes, adding that GAC has already set a meeting for this week on how it might host the Kitten Bowl in 2023 and is “excited about the potential opportunity.
Since the launch of GAC, many Hallmark Channel mainstays have transitioned to GAC, with Trevor Donovan and Danica McKellar signing overall deals and Lori Loughlin making her TV return in Season 2 of “When Hope Calls” on GAC Family in December.
