Hallmark Entertainment Network’s launch in the UK next month will be exclusive to Sky Digital. Jody McAfee, Hallmark’s vice president of marketing, told Interspace that the satellite service would have an exclusivity period of one year ending on the first anniversary of the launch. BSkyB has negotiated similar deals with Discovery Channel and Nickelodeon, denying them digital terrestrial carriage. “We rarely if ever do exclusive deals,” said McAfee. “We’ve got 21 million subscribers around the world, but there’s still a perception in the business if you’re not on in the UK, then you’re not a player.” The UK is the second largest market for Hallmark’s greeting card business.

The proposed May 1 launch is likely to be shifted to May 15 due to technical difficulties in converting material from NTSC to the Pal broadcast standard.

The UK office, which has recently moved to new premises on London’s Kings Road, will handle the marketing functions while BSkyB will sell advertising time. Only in Latin America, and recently Asia, is Hallmark advertising supported. The Polish channel, where Hallmark is available on the Wizja TV satellite platform and the PTK cable network, will switch to be advertising supported within a few months.

The UK channel will be more entertainment based than the movie orientated service on the air in other territories. A number of UK-produced titles have also been acquired by a dedicated programming buyer.