Bill Abbott
President and Chief Executive Officer of Great American Media
Bill Abbott is President and Chief Executive Officer of Great American Media, home to the portfolio of family-friendly brands, including linear TV networks, Great American Family and Great American Faith & Living; streaming service Great American Pure Flix, and two FAST channels, Great American Adventures and Pure Flix. Great American Family is the company’s flagship network and features original holiday movies, rom-coms and classic series celebrating faith, family, and country. Over the past twelve months, the network has been the fastest-growing channel on TV.
Abbott currently serves on the board of directors for the Parents Television Council, and the International Radio & Television Society Foundation. He was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2017. Abbott is a resident of Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island and is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts where he majored in English and Literature.
FOUNDING GREAT AMERICAN MEDIA
Abbott co-founded Great American Media in June 2021 and led the company’s acquisition of Great American County Network from Discovery, Inc. and RIDE TV, which were rebranded as Great American Family and Great American Living in October 2021. The following month, Abbott oversaw the debut of Great American Christmas, the portfolio’s signature franchise featuring 24/7 Christmas movies and fan-favorite stars such as Candace Cameron Bure, Danica McKellar, Trevor Donovan, Lori Loughlin, and many others. In June 2022, Abbott launched Great American Adventures, the company’s first FAST (free ad-supporting streaming TV) channel and in September 2022 debuted Great American Community, a free direct-to-consumer app.
In June 2023, Abbott successfully partnered with Sony and oversaw the acquisition of the streaming service, Pure Flix, which has been rebranded as Great American Pure Flix. Under Bill’s leadership the streaming service has expanded its reach and is now available on Amazon and Roku. The platform will continue to feature faith based, family friendly new and acquired content that and also be a premiere destination for Christmas content.
30+ YEAR TELEVISION CAREER
Abbott is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of leadership experience in cable television. Previously, Abbott served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Crown Media Family Networks, the parent company of Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, and Hallmark Movies NOW, which are owned and operated by Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Abbott’s vision and passion for the brand established Hallmark Channel as the leading destination for quality, family-friendly entertainment on cable.
FROM MOVIES TO SERIES & SPECIALS
While at Hallmark, Abbott was responsible for the creation and development of Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Miracles of Christmas. These franchises consistently elevated the networks to be the most-watched and highest-rated on cable throughout fourth quarter. He also spearheaded the network’s entry into the original series business overseeing the creation of enduring primetime scripted series hits such as “When Calls the Heart” currently in its 11th season, Debbie Macomber’s “Cedar Cove” starring Andie MacDowell, and “Chesapeake Shores” starring Jesse Metcalfe and Treat Williams. Abbott also developed daytime Emmy®-nominated lifestyle series “Home & Family,” and annual specials, including “Kitten Bowl,” “Hero Dog Awards,” and “American Rescue Dog Show.”
Under Abbott’s stewardship, the company rebranded sibling network Hallmark Movie Channel in 2014 as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. As its line-up of trademark mystery movies series continued to expand, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries became one of cable’s fastest growing networks, registering double-digit annual ratings growth over several years. In 2017, Abbott was responsible for the launch of the company’s third linear channel Hallmark Drama, as well as streaming service Hallmark Movies Now, Crown Media’s subscription video on demand service.
Prior to serving as President and CEO, Abbott was Executive Vice President of Ad Sales for Crown Media Family Networks, overseeing the company’s Ad Sales team and digital network development. While heading the Ad Sales division, Abbott grew Hallmark Channel’s annual revenue from $10.2 million to $223 million which established the company as an industry leader.
Before his 20-year tenure at Crown Media, Abbott served as Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales for Fox Family Worldwide where he was responsible for advertising and research for Fox Family Channel and Fox Kids Broadcast Network. Abbott also held research positions with Family Channel, CBS Radio Networks and Seltel, Inc.
