Hallmark x NFL Brand Partnership Kicks Off at Opening Game of the 2024 Season with In-Stadium Activations, Tailgate Activation Zone, and More!

STUDIO CITY, CA and KANSAS CITY, MO – September 5, 2024 – Fans of Hallmark and Chiefs Kingdom, rejoice! Today, the 2024 NFL season commences from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium while Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs share exciting new announcements in store for their unique brand partnership.

Fans will feel the joy of Christmas all season long with Hallmark branded, in-stadium promotion of the upcoming original movie, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. Announced today by its lead stars Tyler Hynes and Hunter King on “The World’s Largest Tailgate: Tailgate Games“, the film will air on Hallmark Channel November 30 at 8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Countdown to Christmas. What’s more, the first look date announcement dropped, signaling viewers to grab their popcorn bowls and blankets before Thanksgiving weekend arrives.

The Hallmark x Chiefs in-stadium festivities will unite crowds and enhance their gameday experience to bring the spirit, joy, and warmth of Hallmark’s iconic Christmas movies to life. Including custom Hallmark Channel holiday branded LED screen animations, activations, giveaways, and more, here are some of the many ways this dream team is huddling up:

• Hallmark “Star Cam” – Hallmark’s spin on a classic “Kiss Cam”, The Star Cam matches fans in the crowd with their own Hallmark holiday movie superlatives at home games all season long. Think “Secret Hallmark Fan”, “Queen of Christmas”, “Future Hallmark Star”, and more!
• Hallmark Branded Tailgate Activation Zone – Also at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium all season long, a tailgate experience like no other, including a festive photo opportunity, free hot cocoa, and more surprises fans won’t want to miss.
• Gate Giveaway – Fans will receive a one-of-a-kind Chiefs x Hallmark Channel themed pennant as they walk into GEHA Field at Arrowhead during the November 29 home game to mark the movie premiere weekend.
• Featured Merchandise – Coming soon, get excited to get your hands on featured items from what’s sure to be your next favorite Hallmark Christmas movie! (Now that’s a touchdown.)

“This holiday season, Hallmark is all about bringing joy to the world,” shared Darren Abbott, Chief Brand Officer, Hallmark.  “Our new partnership with the NFL and Chiefs is uniquely designed to do just that — to find universal ways to spread cheer, tell heartwarming stories and build excitement for our treasured hometown brands during this very special time of year.”

“We are extremely grateful for the entire Hallmark team and the unique hometown partnership that’s been created around our two brands and this movie,” said Mark Donovan, President, Kansas City Chiefs. “With the excitement of the start of the football season, and the holiday season on the horizon, there is no better way to highlight this partnership and announce the premiere date than to leverage one of Kansas City’s biggest parties – Chiefs gameday!”

In addition to Hynes and King, the previously announced lineup of stars and cameo appearances is endlessly star-studded, featuring wide-ranging talent like Jenna Bush Hager, Donna Kelce, Deidrich Bader, Megyn Price, Richard Riehle, Christine Ebersole, Richard Christie and Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid alongside many of his standout Kansas City Chiefs players, among others. As previously announced, the playbook for this original will win viewers’ hearts from the get-go. The synopsis reads:

Hunter King plays Alana Higman, who’s sure that her family’s lifelong history as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them a frontrunner to win the team’s “Fan of the Year” contest.  Tyler Hynes stars as Derrick (Hynes), Director of Fan Engagement, who is tasked with evaluating how Alana and her family stack up against the other two finalists.  As the pair spends time together, it’s clear there’s a spark between them but when her grandfather’s (Ed Begley Jr.) vintage Chiefs, good luck winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate, destiny and even questions her future with Derrick – unless, that is, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary.

ABOUT HALLMARK MEDIA

Hallmark Media is entertainment’s leading destination for feel-good content. The company operates three cable networks – Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, Hallmark Family, and Hallmark Movies Now, a subscription video on-demand streaming service. Hallmark Channel features an ambitious slate of new, original movies, scripted series, and the popular annual holiday franchise, Countdown to Christmas. Hallmark Mystery features a unique mix of movies and acquired series focused on the lighter side of the suspense and mystery genres, as well as its own seasonal programming event, Miracles of Christmas. Hallmark Family showcases timeless storytelling for the whole family centered around faith, love, and community. Hallmark Movies Now, the company’s subscription streaming service, offers commercial-free movies and series from Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, and more, including exclusive content you can’t find anywhere else.

ABOUT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Founded as the Dallas Texans in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) by sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the franchise moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became known as the Kansas City Chiefs. The team currently competes in the West Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Under the guidance of the Hunt Family and the leadership of Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, the mission of the Kansas City Chiefs is to Win with Character, Unite our Community, Inspire our Fans and Honor Tradition. For information about the Kansas City Chiefs, visit chiefs.com.

ABOUT NFL FILMS

NFL Films is widely recognized as the most honored filmmaker in Sports and continues to produce innovative franchises and documentaries across multiple networks and platforms, including Quarterback on Netflix, Hard Knocks on HBO/Max, Peyton’s Places on ESPN+, eight 30 for 30 films on ESPN, and recent premium programming across Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, MGM+, Fox, NBC, CBS, NFL Network, NFL+ and The Roku Channel. In 2023, NFL Films productions earned seven #1 rankings on five different platforms. Bullies of Baltimore was the #1 ranked 30 for 30 film premiere in the history of the ESPN+ platform, Quarterback was the #1 series on Netflix for 8 days and Top 10 in 16 countries, The Pick is In was the #1 ranking Roku Original documentary premiere of all time, Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets was the #1 unscripted series for six straight weeks on Max, and Kelce became the #1 movie or series on Amazon Prime Video, only to be surpassed by Bye Bye Barry just two months later as the platform’s #1 documentary of all time in the U.S.. Completing the extraordinary year, HBO’s Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins became the #1 series on Max in the final week of 2023. With 138 Sports Emmy Awards to its credit, NFL Films remains a gold standard in premium sports content, providing an elevated and connected viewer experience with unprecedented access to the athlete story.

NFL Films is a part of NFL Media, the owned and operated media division of the National Football League, which is comprised of NFL Network, NFL Films, the NFL App, NFL.com, NFL+ and NFL RedZone. For more information on NFL Films, visit NFLFilms.com.

ABOUT SKYDANCE SPORTS

Skydance Sports, the joint venture between the NFL and Skydance, has quickly become the preeminent studio for leagues, teams, elite athletes and A-List Hollywood talent seeking to produce premium, sports-related entertainment. Initially launched in 2021, the studio’s first two projects include the Sports Emmy-nominated docuseries Good Rivals and the critically acclaimed film Air which received two Golden Globe Award nominations including “Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.” In 2022, Skydance partnered with the NFL and NFL Films on a joint venture to significantly expand multi-platform programming across sports in a broad range of formats for partners, fans, and viewers around the world. The partnership’s first projects include an upcoming docuseries chronicling the Dallas Cowboys’ dynasty and franchise owner Jerry Jones for Netflix and Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants for HBO, as well as the Sports Emmy-nominated NFL Draft: The Pick Is In which for The Roku Channel and Kelce for Prime Video which both broke records on their respective streamers upon release.