When the words over-the top and streaming video are uttered, “millennials” typically isn’t far behind.

After all, the younger set, which tends to include a small-but-growing group of cord-cutters, has played a major role in setting the pace of change for the pay TV industry. But not all OTT services are specifically tailored to meet the needs of those groups.

One of them, Feeln, a subscription-VOD service that is part of Hallmark Cards, has found success with a library focused on an older generation of consumers.

“We have more subscribers in their 60s than in their 20s,” Rob Fried, Feeln’s founder, explained, noting that Feeln’s audience is also mostly women.

Feeln is a mature service in more ways than one. In addition to targeting an older demographic, it’s been around for almost a decade, making it a veteran of the OTT market in terms of Internet years.

EARLY ADOPTER

But the service wasn’t always called Feeln and it didn’t always have an important link to Hallmark. The company’s origins were based in video production and an early desire to deliver short-form content directly to consumers.

Before the service was founded in 2007, Fried, a fi lm producer at heart, began to write and develop a collection of short films that, he says, “were life-affirming, inspiration stories” with the help of fi lm-school students and recent graduates. But Fried said he wanted to get the work out to the public without “the interference of the Hollywood machine” that tends, in his view, to make films more expensive and to sometimes veer away from a producer’s original aims.

Though broadband was not nearly as ubiquitous as it is today, Fried said he believed then that the time was right to start to take his content direct to the consumer rather than distributing it through advertising partners or outside exhibitors.

“The premise was to connect directly, the filmmakers — in this case, me — with the viewers,” he said.

Fried then launched what was called Spirit- Clips, a service that focused on his short films. That name, he acknowledged, was problematic in part because Fried had to spend time restating or respelling it to others. And while the service’s focus resonated with the faith-based community, that affinity also kept some people away.

“We had a hard time getting on some platforms … because [they] didn’t want to show precedence for one faith-based company versus another,” he said.

Fried said the ultimate direction and focus of his SVOD service took a big turn when Brad Moore, president of Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, stumbled on SpiritClips, liked its short films and then inquired if there was a way to have the service include the venerable Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for- TV movie collection. Both sides bought in and Fried’s company became part of Hallmark Cards in 2012.

“I realized at the time that [SpiritClips] was no longer a short fi lm company, but a content company with a sensibility,” Fried said. “And I needed to not just produce original content, but also [offer] licensed content of varying lengths to keep the subscribers happy.”

And then there was the name. Fried wanted to use the well-known Hallmark brand, but the concern was it could cause confusion with cable network Hallmark Channel, owned by Hallmark-controlled Crown Media Holdings.

To keep the two services distinct and separate, the name of the service was changed to Feeln in September of 2014. Feeln currently sells for $3.99 per month or $23.99 per year, but there are plans to raise the price in a couple of months.

“The growth since then has been quite strong,” Fried said. Feeln won’t disclose the exact numbers, but Fried said the service has been growing at a rate of “well over 200% a year,” with subscribership in the “hundreds of thousands.”

Feeln’s library includes about 1,000 pieces of content, including a new original scripted drama, The Eleventh, with Cloris Leachman, Ed Asner, Florence Henderson, Chris Atkins and Tracy Nelson, which follows a young girl’s journey as she gets to know her estranged grandmother. Feeln was also behind the recent reboot of the 1980s animated series Rainbow Brite, featuring the voices of Emily Osment and Molly Ringwald.

LOYAL AUDIENCE

Fried said Feeln’s demographic focus comes with both advantages and disadvantages. The service’s older viewers are less adaptable and less prone to change than tech-savvy millennials, but they’re also less likely to churn once they sign on.

“It may take them a while to subscribe, but they don’t unsubscribe quickly,” he said.

Feeln’s platform reach is probably broader than many services that skew to younger audiences, though. The service is currently available on Roku players; Apple TV, Fire TV and Android TV devices; Sony and Samsung connected TVs and Bluray players; apps for Android and iOS; Xbox 360; and Web browsers, and it’s optimized for the Google Chromecast. An app for Windows 10 is in the works.

Video is also just one piece of the puzzle, as Feeln also manages an e-card business. “They are subscribing to a lifestyle brand, if you will,” Fried said.

Hallmark Cards said it has reached an agreement with Crown Media Holdings for the Hallmark Channel to become the producer and new home for the Hallmark Hall of Fame television series. Crown Media Holdings operates and distributes Hallmark Channel to more than 90 million subscribers in the United States.

As part of this agreement, Crown Media Productions, the in-house production unit of Crown Media, will develop and produce future Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. Hallmark Cards will continue to sponsor the series and will remain involved in the creative process, including approving scripts.

“The Hallmark Hall of Fame has been one of our brand’s most valuable assets and will celebrate its 65th anniversary this year,” said Hallmark CEO Donald J. Hall, Jr. in a statement.  “Hallmark Channel has become a leading destination for quality, family-friendly programming and is where Hallmark Hall of Fame viewers expect to find our programs. Hallmark Channel’s experience creating engaging, original content and their outstanding production capabilities make Hallmark Channel the perfect new home.”

The Hallmark Hall of Fame debuted on Christmas Eve 1951 and has had more than 255 broadcasts to date. The series has earned 81 Emmys and nine Golden Globes and 64 Academy Award-winning actors have appeared in Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations.

“We are thrilled to continue the successful legacy of the Hallmark Hall of Fame,” said Crown Media Family Networks CEO Bill Abbott in a statement. “For the past year, Hallmark Channel has premiered Hallmark Hall of Fame movies and now, with Crown Media Productions, we will have the opportunity to play a greater role in continuing the Hallmark Hall of Fame tradition.” 

Hallmark Channel has booked a return trip to the Northpole for holiday season 2015.

Just a little over a week after Northpole bowed to the network's top audience of 2014, Hallmark Channel will again work with Hallmark Cards on Northpole, with the telefilm serving as a tentpole of its annual "Countdown to Christmas" programming gambit.

In the second iteration, Lori Loughlin, who stars in the network's When Calls The Heart series and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' telefilm Sugar Cookie Murder will play a woman who receives some unexpected Xmas cheer and magic from a team of elves headed by the cheerful Clementine, a role reprised by Bailee Madison (pictured, right).

“Developing a hugely successful film in partnership with Hallmark Cards was a tremendous accomplishment and we look forward to creating an even more spectacular second installment with Northpole 2 by casting two of the network’s most beloved leading ladies, Lori Loughlin and Bailee Madison,” said Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming for Crown Media Family Networks.

The Nov. 15 premiere of Northpole averaged a 3.5 household rating and 4 million viewers, according to Nielsen data, to shined as Hallmark Channel's most-watched and highest-rated movie to date in 2014 among households and viewers, plus adults and women 25 to 54.