Hallmark Channel said the two-hour movie pilot premiere of When Calls the Heart on Saturday, Oct. 19, posted a 1.7 household rating, reaching more than 3.2 million unduplicated viewers, citing Nielsen live plus same figures.
The series pilot was the No. 1 movie of the week and the day on ad-supported cable, according to the network.
The series, based on the bestselling Canadian West novels by Janette Oke and starring actress Lori Loughlin, is slated to roll out January 2014. It will be Hallmark Channel's second original series, after Cedar Cove. A third, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, was ordered recently.
The Crown Media Networks outlet said When Calls the Heart ranked second in household rating and third in P2+ rating (0.8) for the Saturday 9-11 p.m. time period and placed among the top 10 in key demo impressions, including third in households (1,478,000) and fourth in P2+ (1,847,000), again citing Nielsen figures. The pilot premiere elevated Hallmark Channel to be the No. 2 network in primetime on cable among households on Saturday (1.6 HH rating), the channel said.
