MAM
Crown Media in discussions to sell Hallmark
MUMBAI: Crown Media Holdings which runs the Hallmark Channel is said to be talking to different groups of investors to sell the broadcasters international operations.
A Reuters report added that last year Crown Media’s international operations lost $21 million on about $83 million of revenue. While Hallmark UK and South America have had offers it will be interesting to see if the Asia operations find any buyers. A couple of years ago the company had closed down its Singapore sales office.
It had also reduced the number feeds for the Asia Pacific region from seven to just two.
Crown Media realised at that time that it would be better off concentrating on trying to shore up the European market revenues and strengthening the US content offering.
In India, the channel is still struggling to make a mark despite original and high quality content. As reported a few months ago by indiantelevision.com, Hallmark had decided to stop taking ads in order to differentiate itself from other channels showing movies and mini-series.
What is also interesting from the India angle is the fact that HBO is said to be interested in Hallmark’s Latin America business and in the international rights to its 700-title programme library. If that deal goes though then HBO in India could have more original content to crow about apart from, of course, its original movies like the recently aired The Gathering Storm and series like Sex & The City.
The Reuters report has gone on to state that one of the principal parties in the negotiations is David Elstein, who used to be Channel 5’s CEO. The group of investors led by him is believed to have offered about $300 million for the entire Hallmark package. Other parties negotiating include private equity firms 3i Group and Providence Equity Partners.
Sources have also indicated that Crown Media is interested in getting Sony involved to counter Elstein’s offer. What could prove to be a hurdle here is that Sony is looking at acquiring MGM, which it feels could be more
profitable.
Another person who could just throw his hat in the ring, at least as far as the UK is concerned, is media moghul Rupert Murdoch. In the past, pay TV operator BSkyB had expressed interested in Hallmark’s UK channel. What has come in the way of the sale process is the market conditions. Also, Hallmark’s long-term contractual obligations with the cable and satellite TV providers that broadcast the channel deterred some parties, including Viacom.
Not surprisingly Crown Media will keep and continue expanding Hallmark US, which is proving profitable. It reaches about 59 million viewers and has a slightly different line-up of shows from what air internationally. They include Matlock, Mash and The Waltons.
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
