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For quite some time the Hallmark Channel has been fighting for respect, even though some of its number revealed it had a solid base that advertisers could rely on. That has changed this year as the network increased its upfront on a deal-by-deal basis in the high single- and low double digit range. That puts them ahead of the general cable field where CPMs are projected to grow at about 6-9 percent this year.

They've written about 80 percent of their upfront, and are projected to finish by the end of the week. The upfront this year is being worked from average commercial ratings plus three days DVR playback.

The major reason for the strength of their upfront, according to Bill Abbott, executive vp, ad sales, Hallmark Channel, was that “The advertising community is finally in a position to recognize our value, which has been demonstrated by our consistent ratings delivery, our brand proposition and our ability to get viewers all the way through commercial breaks.”

Hallmark is especially strong in its successful retention of its viewers during commercials, where less than five percent is lost during the breaks.

What has been a surprise this year is the relatively quiet, non-devisive atmosphere of the deals. Earlier this year most of us thought this was going to be a real battle. With many networks agreeing to the C3 metric, it helped to alleviate most of the expected showdowns.