Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas is an American annual seasonal event of Christmas programming broadcast during the month of December by the U.S. cable network Freeform. The event was first held in 1996, and has been an annual fixture of the channel through its various incarnations, including The Family Channel, Fox Family, ABC Family, and Freeform. The brand covers airings of classic holiday specials as well as new Christmas-themed television movies each year; generally few of the network's original series air during the time period, outside of Christmas-themed episodes. In 2006, the lineup has also included airings of general, family films that Freeform holds rights to, which included the Harry Potter films until January 2017, and other Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures films. In 2007, the block was extended to November with a Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas block. 25 Days of Christmas programming often attracts major surges in viewership for Freeform, with higher-profile film airings often attracting 3-4 million viewers or more.
abc 25 days of christmas lineup
The Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas schedule was released on October 29, 2015. The 2015 lineup included family classics such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Jingle All the Way, Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and the cable premiere of Planes. A Monday, November 30 airing of The Polar Express was watched by 1.5 million viewers, the highest rating of this year's Countdown.[24] A Saturday, November 28 airing of Wreck-It Ralph was also watched by 1.5 million viewers.[25] The network premiere of Planes on Thanksgiving night garnered only 0.699 million viewers.[26]
The Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas schedule was released on October 22, 2016. In 2016, Freeform's first Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas ran from Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2016, to December 25, 2016. The 2016 lineup includes family movies such as Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story of Terror, Brave, Tangled, Happy Feet Two, Tooth Fairy, Another Cinderella Story, Mulan, Wreck-It Ralph, Matilda, Little Rascals, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and Despicable Me. Freeform also announced the network premiere of The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Boxtrolls, and A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits. The holiday movies in the 2016 Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas included: Fred Claus, The Holiday (Freeform network premiere), Scrooged, Jingle All the Way, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Deck the Halls.[27]
The Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas schedule was released on October 12, 2017. In 2017, Freeform's Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas ran from November 18, 2017, to November 30, 2017. The 2017 lineup included family movies such as The Incredibles, Despicable Me, Harry Potter, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Hook, Dennis the Menace, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Boxtrolls. Freeform also announced the network premiere of Inside Out and Snow Day. The holiday movies in the 2017 Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas included: Home Alone, Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Four Christmases (Freeform network premiere), 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups, Frosty's Winter Wonderland, Jack Frost, The Year Without a Santa Claus, A Christmas Carol, A Dennis the Menace Christmas, Richie Rich's Christmas Wish, Jack Frost, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, Arthur Christmas, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Eloise at Christmastime, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
On May 15, 2018, Freeform announced that the Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas would be renamed Kickoff to Christmas for November 2018.[20] The 2017 Kickoff to Christmas schedule was released on October 10, 2018. The 2018 Kickoff to Christmas lineup runs from November 1 to November 30, 2018, and includes films such as Jumanji, The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, Norm of the North, Ratatouille, Yogi Bear, Frozen, Babe, Meet the Robinsons, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Storks, Paddington, Zootopia, and others.[29]
The fourth annual "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" was watched by 2.1 million viewers.[37] The lineup began its first week with record breaking 3 million average viewers.[38] The December 12 premiere of Christmas Cupid was watched by a total of 3.4 million viewers.[39] Total viewers for 2010 broke records, averaging 2.8 million viewers.[40] An airing of How the Grinch Stole Christmas drew 1.3 million viewers.[40]
The first week of the 25 Days of Christmas was watched by an average of 2.2 million viewers, down 27% from last year.[41] During the second week, viewers increased to 2.4 million, thanks to the premiere of 12 Dates of Christmas.[42] However, this was still down 30% from the previous year.[42] Overall viewers for the 2011 lineup averaged 2.3 million viewers.[43]
In 2012, the programming block had its most ever total viewers in its debut week, with 2.9 million.[44] An airing of the film Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas on December 2 became the lineup's most watched program ever, with 5.4 million viewers.[45][46] Other notable airings included, the network premiere of Despicable Me, watched by over 4.3 million viewers,[47] and a Christmas Eve airing of The Santa Clause 2, watched by 3.9 million viewers.[48] The programming block averaged 2.8 million viewers for 2012, on pace with 2010.[46]
The 25 Days of Christmas schedule was released in late October by Freeform. While notable absences include Jim Carrey's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Home Alone, and the second and third The Santa Clause films, the schedule still includes many classics. The schedule includes 25 days of classics like, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Frost, Disney's A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, The Holiday, Elf, Jingle All The Way, Scrooged, Deck the Halls, Toy Story, Frozen, and Happy Feet.[53]
Alongside its traditional lineup of acquired and Disney films, the lineup for 2017 included the new original film Angry Angel, starring Jason Biggs and Brenda Song, and the new special Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic, which documented how Disney's theme parks are prepared for the holiday season. On October 31, 2017, it was announced that the 25 Days of Christmas branding would also be used for holiday programming on sister properties ABC (including new seasons of the seasonal miniseries The Great Christmas Light Fight and The Great American Baking Show, as well as its other traditional specials), Disney Channel (including Disney Parks Presents a Disney Channel Holiday Celebration), Disney Junior (including The Lion Guard special "Timon and Pumbaa's Christmas"), and Disney XD (Milo Murphy's Law: "A Christmas Peril", and Star vs. the Forces of Evil: "Stump Day"/"Holiday Spellcial").[1][54]
Over the first two weeks after Thanksgiving, average viewership of feature films on Freeform fell by 36% over 2017, due primarily to its loss of several major mainstays of the 25 Days lineup, such as the Harry Potter film series (whose cable rights moved to Syfy and USA Network earlier in the year)[56][57] as well as various Warner Bros.-owned films and specials (including Elf and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and 12 Rankin/Bass specials) that were acquired by AMC for a competing holiday lineup.[58][55] The original movie Life-Size 2 (a sequel to a 2000 ABC made-for-TV film, starring Tyra Banks) was seen by 1.26 million viewers.[59]
I also wanted to share a list of other great family Christmas movies that you will not want to miss out on seeing!* Frosty the Snowman* A Christmas Story * Holiday Engagement* Lucky Christmas* The Christmas Card * Christmas with the Kranks* A Charlie Brown Christmas* Hitched For The Holidays * Let It Snow* Peanuts Holiday Collection * One Magic Christmas* Miracle on 34th Street* White Christmas* Northpole: Open For Christmas* Northpole* Jingle All the Way * A Christmas Wish* Borrowed Hearts* An Elf's Story* Christmas Trade* Barbie: A Perfect Christmas* Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas* Christmas Angel* The Flight Before Christmas* Annabelle's Wish* ABC Family Christmas Collection 6 Pack (Christmas Cupid, Christmas In Boston, Snow, Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe, Snowglobe, Holiday In Handcuffs)
December has arrived, which means ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas begins today. An unofficial start of the holiday season, ABC Family's month-long celebration provides parents with plenty of holiday movies to share with the kids. The channel's lineup of holiday programming features favorites from every generation, be it claymation specials or more modern movies like Fred Claus. No matter your cinematic preference, ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas schedule is packed with the must-see movies of the holidays.
The 25 Days of Christmas model makes it easy for kids to do what they love: watch the same things over and over again. Of course, one of the most wonderful parts of being a mom is sharing childhood favorites with your own kids. As you're sorting through TV schedules to determine what to watch this month, here are ninr movies from the ABC Family lineup that you won't want to miss. 2ff7e9595c
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