Syfy is getting
into the holiday spirit.
Following in the
footsteps of more family-oriented competitors such as ABC Family and Hallmark
Channel, which do their biggest ratings and generate the lion's share of their
revenue in the fourth quarter, Syfy is inaugurating a Countdown to Christmas
the week of Dec. 6.
Kay Jewelers has
signed on as the exclusive on-air and online sponsor of Countdown to Christmas,
which will include new holiday themed episodes of Eureka and Warehouse 13,
two Syfy series that normally air in the summer.
"As a brand and a
channel we think we have a unique twist on what traditional holiday programming
can be," said Blake Callaway, senior VP for brand and strategic marketing at
Syfy. "It will be fun for our audience to get to see new episodes of some of
their favorite shows in December versus waiting for July for them to come back.
That's our Christmas treat to them."
Kay has sponsored
fourth-quarter mini-series on Syfy before as part of its pre-holiday marketing
efforts. Financial terms were not disclosed but as part of its Countdown sponsorship,
Kay will be presenting vignettes announcing the Countdown. Kay will also
present vignettes featuring Colin Ferguson of Eureka and Allison Scagliotti of Warehouse 13 talking about their favorite holiday memories.
Kay messages will
also be attached to the holiday programming when viewers watch on VOD.
In addition to Eureka and Warehouse 13, the Countdown to Christmas week will feature original
holiday themed episodes of Ghost Hunters,
Hollywood Treasure, Fact or Faked, Paranormal Files and WWE Friday
Night SmackDown. The network will conclude the week with a Christmastime
disaster movie Ice Quake.
Syfy will continue
to air special programming in December until the end of the year, when it will
run its 16th annual Twilight Zone New Year's Festival.
The network has scheduled marathons of Ghost
Hunters and Ghost Hunters
International on Dec. 22; a marathon of Land
of the Dinosaurs movies on Dec. 23, a marathon of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Dec. 24, a marathon of Sea Creatures movies on Dec. 25 and a
marathon of Werewolf movies on Dec.
26.
The annual Twilight Zone marathon will start at 8
a.m. ET on Dec. 31 and will be interrupted by a Christmas edition of SmackDown at 8 p.m. After SmackDown, the episodes of the Rod
Serling classic will resume.
Syfy will also be
using the programming stunt as a way to build promotion for two new series
coming in January, Being Human and Face Off.
During the third
quarter, Syfy, part of NBC Universal was the 14th-ranked cable network among total viewers. Average viewership shrunk
7% during the quarter. Among adults 25-54 Syfy was the 10th ranked network despite a 12% drop off in the demo.
