17 November 2021

Mirriad and Crown Media unwrap enhanced Christmas partnership 

Mirriad Advertising plc

("Mirriad" or the "Company")

Mirriad, the leading in-content advertising company, has today announced a new initiative with Crown Media Family Networks, a US-based media production company owned and operated by Hallmark Cards, Inc.

The ongoing agreement - which now includes access to Hallmark Channel's highly successful Countdown to Christmas programme, a pop culture phenomenon and beloved holiday tradition for millions of viewers in America - will present brands and advertisers with the exciting opportunity to leverage Mirriad's in-content solution to better engage with audiences in the run-up to this year's festive season.

The partnership has yielded early success across key advertising categories including retail, liquor, financial services and the automotive industry. Utilising a mix of creative executions enables wider category participation for in-content advertising campaigns vs. traditional product placements. This new capability has brought in new advertisers for Crown Media and has become a new tool for Mirriad's sales team to extend value to existing clients. 

Through the initiative, brands will now have access to content on one of the highest-rated cable networks in the US. Following the success achieved during the collaboration, the agreement will expand to now include Hallmark Channel's marquee event of the year Countdown to Christmas, which kicked off on October 24 and features an extensive slate of holiday content, including new movie premiers every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and fan-favourite original seasonal films from years past.

Mark Melvin, EVP Sales and Brand Partnerships US at Mirriad, said: "Our partnership with Crown Media has accelerated quickly to include so many leading brands, which proves the growing demand for in-content advertising.

"Brands are seeking new solutions to contextually target their consumers in a seamless and authentic way. We're seeing massive brand interest for quality programming, such as Hallmark's original movies."

Chris Ward, SVP of Midwest Ad Sales at Crown Media, said: "We're always looking for new technology that will enable our marketing partners to incorporate their brand messages into our programming and reach viewers in an organic way that optimises impact.

"Mirriad has quickly experienced great success in the first few months of our partnership. We're excited to build on these results by expanding our partnership to enable advertisers to leverage this new unlocked inventory during the holiday season - the most popular, highest-rated time of the year on our channels."

ENDS

About Mirriad

Mirriad's award-winning solution unleashes new revenue for content producers and distributors by creating new advertising inventory in content. Our patented, AI and computer vision technology dynamically inserts products and innovative signage formats after content is produced. Mirriad's market-first solution seamlessly integrates with existing subscription and advertising models, and dramatically improves the viewer experience by limiting commercial interruptions. 

Mirriad currently operates in the US, Europe and China. 

About Crown Media Family Networks 

Owned and operated by Hallmark Cards, Inc., Crown Media Family Networks is home to Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama. Hallmark Channel features an ambitious slate of new, original content, including movies, scripted series, and annual specials. Hallmark Channel is also home to the popular annual holiday franchise Countdown to Christmas featuring a 24/7 lineup of holiday programming. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is a 24-hour cable network featuring a unique mix of new, original movies and acquired series focused on the lighter side of the suspense and mystery genres. The network also features its own annual holiday programming franchise, Miracles of Christmas. Hallmark Drama showcases the rich legacy of the Hallmark Hall of Fame library and spotlights movies and series from Crown Media's collection of original dramatic content. Crown Media Family Networks is also home to Hallmark Movies Now, the company's subscription streaming service, which offers commercial-free, feel-good movies and series from Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and more, including exclusive content you can't find anywhere else. Crown Media Family Networks' publishing extension, Hallmark Publishing, offers original novels, as well as books adapted from Hallmark original movies. 

For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com 

Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest 

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter 

Hallmark Drama on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter 

Hallmark Movies Now on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter 

Hallmark Publishing on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter 

Enquiries:

For further information please visit www.mirriad.com or contact:

Mirriad Advertising plc

Stephan Beringer, Chief Executive Officer

David Dorans, Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +44 (0)207 884 2530

Nominated Adviser & Broker:

Canaccord Genuity Limited

Simon Bridges

Thomas Diehl

Tel: +44 (0)20 7523 8000

Financial Communications:

Charlotte Street Partners

Tom Gillingham Tel: +44 (0) 7741 659021

Andrew Wilson Tel: +44 (0) 7810 636995