STUDIO CITY, Calif. and KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Are you ready for some football? It’s game time on Hallmark Channel this holiday season when two renowned Kansas City institutions – the Kansas City Chiefs and Hallmark – team up with the NFL and Skydance Sports for a holiday movie and partnership that will have audiences everywhere cheering – TOUCHDOWN! Tyler Hynes (Shifting Gears, Three Wise Men and a Baby), Hunter King (Two Scoops Of Italy, The Santa Summit) and Ed Begley Jr. (Young Sheldon, Better Call Saul) star in the new, original movie, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. The movie begins production next month and will film entirely in Kansas City, Missouri locations, including the iconic GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, marking the first time the loudest stadium in the world has been used as a filming location in a Hallmark movie.
“With Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs both homegrown, rooted in values, tradition and community, there is a special alchemy between these two iconic organizations,” said Darren Abbott, Chief Brand Officer, Hallmark. “By blending the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the excitement of professional football, we are thrilled to give audiences a front-row seat to this community’s spirit, rich traditions and passionate fans that define Kansas City, all wrapped up in the comforting and uplifting Hallmark way.”
“We are honored to partner with Hallmark on a project as unique as this,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. “As a club, we pride ourselves on exploring new ways to grow our brand, as well as connect with new audiences. This partnership unites two passionate fanbases and gives us an opportunity to show Chiefs Kingdom’s energy and tradition on one of the most-watched channels during the holiday season.”
In Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, Alana Higman (King) is 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. Derrick (Hynes), Director of Fan Engagement, 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 grandfathers (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.
This film marks the ultimate celebration of a longstanding collaboration between the two pioneering KC-based brands, officially uniting the Hallmarkies and Chiefs Kingdom like never before. With planning underway for game-day activations, unique co-branded merchandise, and on-air, social, and digital promotion, the multifaceted partnership will engage widespread audiences both on and off the field, with more details to be announced later this year. What’s more, this film will fuel the proven track record of viewership crossover between Countdown to Christmas enthusiasts and sports fans. In fact, over 50% of Hallmark Channel viewers also watched sports while the Countdown to Christmas was on air in 2023, making this film the perfect holiday occasion.*
Skydance Sports serves as the Executive Producer of Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. A newly formed venture between Skydance Media and the NFL, Skydance Sports is designed to create a top-end sports content studio and expand multi-platform sports programming across a broad range of formats.
To celebrate the uniquely local partnership between the two organizations, Kansas City’s downtown skyline will be lit purple and red tonight beginning at sunset.
ABOUT HALLMARK MEDIA
Owned and operated by Hallmark, Hallmark Media is entertainment’s leading destination for feel-good content. 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 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.
*Source: M-Su 6a-6a, P2+, 10/20-12/31/23. Duplication between Hallmark Channel and ESPN. All data is program-based and L+SD.
