New Name, Direction for Odyssey Network
The little-known Odyssey cable network will change its name to the Hallmark Channel and shuffle its programming to slightly reduce its religious fare, executives said Wednesday.
The new Hallmark Channel will start Aug. 6.
Odyssey, formed in 1990 largely as a religious network, already shows reruns of old Hallmark-produced movies, as well as series such as “Happy Days” and “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.” The basic cable channel is available in nearly 30 million homes.
Hallmark Inc. recently bought a majority stake in the company that owns the network, Crown Media, based in Denver.
Hallmark, which produces more than 50 made-for-TV movies a year, will continue supplying other networks with programming, along with the new Hallmark Channel.
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