Quick Hits: Programming

Dish Targets ‘Heartland’ With $5 Family Package

ENGLEWOOD, COLO.— Dish Network has introduced a specialty
programming package aimed at rural families that includes
movies, classic TV series, inspirational concert specials and
rural lifestyle content.

The Heartland package is a
$5 add-on tier Dish promotes
as family-friendly fare including
“movies, classic TV series, inspirational
concert specials, rural
lifestyle content and more.”

Dish said the new content
package includes GMC TV (home
of the original family drama series Heartland),
Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel (which announced
an affiliate extension with Dish), PixL, RFD-TV and,
starting tomorrow, RFD spinoff Rural TV.

A Dish spokesman said the channels (other than newcomer
Rural) are already available in broad channel packages from
the satellite-TV provider. The new tier might appeal to subscribers
who get entry-level packages, such as the $19.99 Dish
Family service, that don’t include the Heartland networks.

Crown Signs Dish Renewal for Hallmark Duo

LOS ANGELES — Crown Media Family Networks celebrated
Valentine’s Day by announcing a new multiyear renewal pact
with Dish Network for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie
Channel.

The two channels joined Dish’s new $5, six-channel
Heartland Package. Dish will also add Hallmark Movie
Channel to the “Blockbuster @Home” subscription movie
package that includes linear channels and streamed movies.

Hallmark Channel remains in Dish’s America’s Top 200
programming package, and Hallmark Channel and Hallmark
Movie Channel remain in the America’s Top 250 programming
package.

Hallmark Channel is available to more than 87 million
subscribers in the U.S. and Hallmark Movie Channel is in
more than 46 million homes, according to Crown.

Oxygen Picks Up ‘Teen Weddings,’ ‘Thrift Wars’

NEW YORK — Oxygen has added two new pilots to its development
slate, Teen Weddings and Thrift Wars.

The one-hour Teen Weddings follows several young couples
as they plan their nuptials, from choosing the dress,
selecting the guest list, planning the bachelor and bachelorette
parties to the ceremony and reception to a posthoneymoon
recap.

Thrift Wars is a half-hour about the world of competitive
thrifting, where New York’s most hardcore thrifters travel
to flea markets, warehouses and estate sales to score the
best pieces.

These are the first projects to be announced under Rod
Aissa, Oxygen’s new senior vice president of original programming
and development. “They are bold and noisy and
keep with Oxygen’s core values — living life on your own
terms,” he said in a release about the new pilots.

Travel Channel Green-Lights Two More Series

NEW YORK — Man v. Food star Adam Richman will be hunting
for the best sandwich in America in a new series green-lighted
by Travel Channel.

The Scripps Networks Interactive outlet
gave the go-ahead for two new series
and discussed some shows in development
last week at a New York gathering.

Along with Adam Richman’s Best
Sandwich in America (working title), the
channel green-lighted Toy Hunters, starring
toy collector Jordan Hembrough,
who scours basements and warehouses
and toy chests for hidden collectible
treasures.

Andy Singer, Travel Channel’s senior vice president of programming
& production, also said Anthony Bourdain’s original
series The Layover will be back for a second season (10 episodes).
His tour of short stays will take him to Taipei, Sao Paolo
and Chicago, among other cities, Singer said.

In development are Mile High, a working title for a show about
David Arquette and friend Mike McGuinness racking up mileage
on spontaneous adventure trips, guided by Twitter and other
suggestions from the Web; and Aloha Gold (working title), about
an independent tour company in Hawaii.

MGM Launches Channel Aimed at U.S. Latinas

NEW YORK — On the heels of News Corp.’s decision to launch
a new Spanish-language broadcast channel (MundoFox) and
news that Univision and The Walt Disney Co. are in talks for
launching a news cable channel, a new entrant has made its
debut in the U.S. Hispanic television world.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on Feb. 14 launched Canal Ella, a
24-hour Spanish-language cable network for Hispanic women.
Pitching itself as a Pan-Latin American channel with a “heavy
Mexican component,” it features a combination of programming
from MGM Networks Latin America that “focuses on the culture
and traditions of our viewers,” executives said.

Content consists 60% of originals and 40% of acquired fare.
The network launched in some 500,000 homes on Cablevision
Systems and in select Comcast markets, and on Liberty Cablevision,
Choice Cable TV and Claro TV in Puerto Rico.

Comedy Renews Hit Sketch Series ‘Key & Peele’

NEW YORK — Comedy Central has renewed a new hit show, Key
& Peele. The series’ second season will premiere in fall 2012
with 10 episodes.

Created by and starring comedians Keegan-Michael Key and
Jordan Peele (veterans of MadTV), the series premiered on
Jan. 31 as Comedy Central’s best
launch since 2009 with 2.1 million
total viewers.

The debut, which followed Tosh.0,
also posted a 2.6 men 18-34 rating
and a 3.3 men 18-24 rating,
finishing first in the timeslot with
both demos across all of television,
according to Comedy Central.