Great American Family’s TV Rise: CEO Bill Abbott on Candace Cameron Bure Backlash and Why His Network Is ‘For All People’
variety.comEmily Longeretta Great American Family‘s biggest time of the year is here. The network, run by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott, is leaning in to the holiday season big time, after seeing a year of massive growth.
According to the year-over-year data, GAF is up 150% in total viewers in 2023 compared to 2022, and the success can be credited to multiple factors, Abbott tells Variety. “One of the biggest parts of our growth has been our talent, and the fact that we have such recognizable stars in our stable of talent — and that they are relentless in promoting Great American Family,” he says. “That, in and of itself, has created the awareness necessary to grow like we have.” Candace Cameron Bure, Trevor Donovan, Jen Lilley, Danica McKellar and Jessica Lowndes all have exclusive deals with GAF, while their Christmas movie lineup also includes Matthew Morrison, Chad Michael Murray, Lori Loughlin, Jill Wagner and James Tupper. “The list goes on and on and ultimately, the big one was Candace Cameron Bure.
Having her profile, the popularity she has and the impact of social media — all those things are huge,” says Abbott. Of course, that also came with criticism aimed at the network, after Bure’s stated that the network wouldn’t be featuring same-sex couples but instead focus on “traditional marriage.” Below, Abbott speaks exclusively to Variety about the cable channel’s recent growth, this year’s holiday lineup, the backlash around Bure’s recent comments and the changes he plans to make down the line. Let’s start at the top.
You guys launched Great American Christmas a week ahead of the originally planned release. Why? A couple of reasons: One is viewer feedback was that they can’t get enough Christmas content.
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