Hallmark Channel Streaming: How to Watch Countdown to Christmas Without Cable

The calendar may still read October, but Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas officially kicks off on Friday, October 20.

The linear cable network, owned by Crown Media and Hallmark (yes, the greeting card company), cranks out new made-for-TV romantic movies multiple times a month in addition to original series like When Calls the Heart and Ride.

This year, the network plans to release 42 new movies in the weeks between Halloween and New Year’s despite still-growing competition from Great American Country Family, a network comprised mainly of former Hallmark executives and talent.

The network is embracing diversity, featuring people of color and LGBTQ+ characters more consistently (as opposed to GAC Family, which some critics say started a culture war over ex-Hallmark, current-GAC star Candace Cameron Bure’s comments about keeping “traditional marriage” at the center of its movies). The move by Hallmark has been viewed as a step in the right direction for the network, and diversity only continues to grow.

Hallmark Channel is not the only network the company owns; there’s also Hallmark Drama, which airs “family-friendly dramatic content,” and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, which airs original series and movies of its own, in addition to splitting the Countdown to Christmas roster every winter.

If you recently cut the cord but want to stay up to date with the latest and greatest from Hallmark, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ve outlined several ways to watch all three Hallmark linear cable networks live.

How To Watch Hallmark Channel With Cable

If you have cable, you can find the channel number by using Hallmark’s channel locator. Input your zip code and look for your cable provider on the list, and you’ll be able to find the channel number for all three Hallmark networks. You can also quickly find the Hallmark Channel schedule plus Drama and Movies & Mysteries on their respective websites.

The Hallmark Channel app for smartphones, tablets, and streaming devices also has on-demand titles available to stream with your cable TV login information.

How To Watch Hallmark Channel On Peacock

The most cost-effective way to watch all three Hallmark channels live is with a Peacock subscription. NBC Universal’s streaming service announced a partnership with Hallmark in advance of last year’s Countdown to Christmas that’s still going strong today. It includes live access to all three Hallmark networks 24/7, plus a back catalog featuring some of their most popular movies and complete series like Chesapeake Shores.

New movies are available to stream on-demand on Peacock for 72 hours after they initially air, and new episodes of Hallmark Channel original series, like The Way Home and When Calls the Heart, are added to Peacock on Monday mornings following a Sunday night premiere; unlike movies, these don’t expire. You can also stream the three most recent When Calls the Heart seasons as well as the full first seasons of The Way Home and Ride.

Signing up for Peacock is as easy as heading to its website and choosing one of two plans: the ad-supported Premium plan for $6/month or $60/year, and the ad-free Premium Plus plan for $12/month or $120/year. The live channels have ads regardless of your plan, but Premium Plus removes them for any on-demand titles.

What Live TV Streaming Service Has The Hallmark Channel?

You can also watch Hallmark Channel on several live TV streaming services created to replace traditional cable television, often with many live channels and features you’d expect with cable, such as DVR.

You can sign up for any of the following streaming services by going to their website linked below and choosing the plan that would allow you to stream all of your Hallmark faves.

• Sling TV – Hallmark, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama are only available as part of Sling’s Lifestyle Extra channel add-on. You’ll need to subscribe to a base plan ($40+/month) and then add Lifestyle Extra for $6/month.
• Philo – You can watch all three Hallmark channels on Philo for $25/month.
• Frndly TV – All three Hallmark networks are included with Frndly TV, which is one of the most affordable live TV streaming services, with plans starting at just $7/month.
• fuboTV – All three Hallmark networks are included in all three of fuboTV’s streaming plans, starting at $75/month.
• Hulu + Live TV – Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries are included in Hulu + Live TV’s base plan, which costs $77/month. Hallmark Drama is only included if you subscribe to the Entertainment Add-On for an extra $8/month.

What is Hallmark Movies Now?

Hallmark Movies Now is a streaming service by the network and does not include the live networks. It has an on-demand catalog that features a lot of older movies and complete series from the networks. However, newer titles are not guaranteed (except for currently-airing series, which premiere later in the week than they do on cable).

It costs $5.99/month but won’t necessarily replace having access to live Hallmark.

Countdown to Christmas Schedule Info:

This year’s Countdown to Christmas begins on October 20 and will continue through the end of December with new movies airing most Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. This year, a few movies will even be exclusive to the Hallmark Movies Now streaming service.

For a full breakdown of everything all of the networks will be offering, check out our schedule, but continue reading for the highlights.

• Mystic Christmas, airing Saturday, October 28 on Hallmark Channel, is a Mystic Pizza-inspired romance.
• A Merry Scottish Christmas, airing Saturday, November 18 on Hallmark Channel, is a Party of Five reunion. Just as they did on the 90s drama, Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf will play siblings in the movie.
• Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up, airing Saturday, November 25 on Hallmark Channel, is a sequel to last year’s fan-favorite Haul Out the Holly starring Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown.
• Three Wise Men and a Baby – Extended Cut, airing Monday, November 27 on Hallmark Movies Now, is an extended version of last year’s hit comedy about three brothers (Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, and Andrew Walker) forced to work together to care for a baby over the holidays.
• Heaven Down Here, airing Thursday, December 7 on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, is inspired by country singer Mickey Guyton’s song of the same name and features the Hallmark debut of TV icon Phylicia Rashad.
• Round and Round, airing Sunday, December 10 on Hallmark Channel, is the network’s 2023 Hanukkah offering; it follows a woman stuck in a time loop on the day of her parents’ Hanukkah party.
• Friends & Family Christmas, airing Sunday, December 17 on Hallmark Channel, follows two women who pretend to be a couple after being set up by their parents.