Disney Jr. is betting that Fancy Nancy, the children's books sensation, will prove appealing as an animated TV series and telefilm.

The network has optioned the rights and plans to develop an original animated TV movie and series, while Disney's consumer products group will look to capitalize with attendant products. 

Created by Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, the Fancy Nancy stories are written for children ages 2 through 7, centering on a girl donned with an extensive vocabulary and elegant wardrobe. She's been the central character spanning 60 books that have been translated into 20 languages and  sold 28 million copies worldwide.

Fancy Nancy publisher HarperCollins and Disney Publishing will collaborate on books based on the television series.

"Children have been captivated by Fancy Nancy's wit and irrepressible spirit for a decade and we are very eager to give her an even bigger stage on which to perform" said Nancy Kanter, executive vice president, original programming and general manager, Disney Jr. Worldwide.

Looking to broaden its programming purview, INSP is launching an original productions division.

The announcement from INSP chairman and CEO means the network is looking to enter the telefilm realm, as well as in original series production.

“This is the next logical step in the progression of INSP,” said Cerullo.  “Since transforming the network focus to family-friendly, positive entertainment in 2010, we’ve taken a series of intentional steps to build a solid foundation that will resonate with viewers.  We have accomplished this in large part by focusing on acquired movies and series. As a result, INSP has become one of the fastest-growing networks today, in terms of both distribution and viewership. Creating original content has always been part of our long-term strategy. The formation of this new division is an important step in the process.”

Last year, INSP hired Craig Miller, the former RIVR Media and Scripps Productions who has been involved with the launch of some 50 series,  as vice president of original non-scripted programming. The company expects to announce a head of the original movies division shortly.

“With the establishment of an original film division, coupled with the original programming division created last year under Craig’s direction, INSP is positioned as the premier destination for values-based entertainment,” said Cerullo. "We are committed to recruiting top caliber staff to ensure our original product is being developed by some of the best creative minds in the industry. 2015 will be a historical year as we move forward with a growing library of original content and a clear strategy to accelerate series development.  We see unprecedented potential for continued ratings and audience growth.  This is all part of a master plan strategically implemented over the last several years. We know where we’re going, and we are moving forward at an uninterrupted pace.”

If Hallmark Channel viewers were merry during the recently completed holiday season, Crown Media Holdings executives are hopeful watchers will show lots of love toward their latest programming stunt.

Hot on the heart of its most Nielsen successful "Countdown to Christmas" campaign ever, Hallmark Channel will shoot its arrows at "Countdown to Valentine’s Day," a two-week celebration, featuring nearly 300 hours of romance-themed movies, highlighted by a quintet of new originals.

Countdown to Valentine’s Day begins Saturday, Jan. 31, with original telefilm A Wish Come True at 8 p.m. (ET)/7 p.m. (CT). Other original movies making their world premiere as part of the Valentine's Day play are as follows I Do, I Do, I Do (Feb. 6); So You Said Yes (Feb. 7); Cloudy with a Chance of Love (Feb. 8); and All of My Heart  on Cupid's day itself.

Starring Megan Park, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Dean Cain, Anthony Lemke and Aidan Shipley, A Wish Come True (formerly 30th Birthday) centers on Lindsay Corwin (Park), a long-time believer in birthday wishes, even if they remain unfulfilled. As she approaches her milestone birthday, she laments to her best friend Dave (Hollingsworth) that not one of them has ever come true and her life is nothing like she envisioned. But when Dave throws her a surprise 30th birthday party, Lindsay resolves to blow out her candles and make one final wish: for all of her wishes to come true.

Hallmark Channel, reaping the Nielsen benefits of its "Countdown to Christmas" programming play, is also setting its sight on a strong start to 2015 with a half-dozen new telefilms.

The network will usher in 2015 with the debuts of six new original movies, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame world premiere of Away & Back, starring Minka Kelly and Jason Lee.

The sixth telefilm, 30th Birthday, with Megan Park, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Dean Cain, will kick off another channel gambit, Countdown to Valentine's Day.

“Viewers expect Hallmark Channel to take them on a romantic escape and now we are delivering countless hours of romance, love, laughter and joy to celebrate a new year,” said Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming, Crown Media Family Networks. “These uplifting stories, including Away & Back, will bring the magic and beauty of romance to the delight of millions.”

The January Hallmark Channel original movie world premieres, as described by the programmer:

‘SURPRISED BY LOVE’

A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere

Saturday, January 3 (9p.m. ET/PT, 8C)

Starring:Hilarie Burton, Paul Campbell,Malcom Stewart, Wanda Cannon, Leanne Lapp, Aaron Craven and Tim Conway

Josie Mayfield (Burton), a no-nonsense businesswoman working at her father’s prosperous cookware company, thinks her boyfriend Richard (Aaron Craven, “Gracepoint”) is the perfect man – handsome, successful and driven. The problem is that Josie’s parents, Joseph and Claire (Malcom Stewart, “My Boyfriends’ Dogs” and Wanda Cannon “Heartland”), do not agree. When Josie meets up with Gridley (Campbell), an underachieving, old high school flame (who still has a crush on Josie), Richard dreams up a plan to make himself look good to Josie’s parents: Gridley will be Josie’s date at Joseph and Claire’s upcoming anniversary party. When Joseph and Claire see Josie with a “loser,” they’ll give anything to have Richard back in the picture. At least, that’s the plan.

‘A NOVEL ROMANCE’

A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere

Saturday, January 10 (9p.m. ET/PT, 8C)

Starring:Amy Acker, Dylan Bruce, Camille Mitchell, Tammy Gillis, Casey Manderson, Emily Tennant, Milo Shandel, Chris Shields and Charles S. Dutton

Romance novelist Liam Bradley (Bruce) has already found massive success with three books written under the pen name Gabriel August, mysteriously unknown to his legions of readers.  With his first book written as a way to heal after a broken relationship, Liam has slowly become disheartened with writing strictly for romantic fantasy, something evident to a sweet, but honest, journalist who reviews books, Sophie Atkinson (Acker), whom he meets by chance on a plane.  The two begin a tentative relationship in Sophie’s home town of Portland, Maine, where Liam has come to find inspiration for his newest entry.

‘LOVE BY THE BOOK’

A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere

Saturday, January 17 (9p.m. ET/PT, 8C)

Starring: Leah Renee,Kristopher Turner, John Schneider, Ryan Bittle,Stefanie Powers, Cherilyn Wilson, Cuyle Carvin, Michael Ensign

After a childhood filled with reading fairytales, bookstore owner Emma (Renee) believes in handsome princes and happily ever afters.  Unlike her happily married coworker Marilyn (Powers), Emma has yet to be swept away by her own prince charming.  Trying to both find an idyllic love life and impress her store’s investor, Frank (Schneider), Emma balances time dating romantic suitor Landon (Ryan Bittle, “All My Children”) and time at her store with Frank’s nettlesome son, Eric (Kristopher Turner, “Saving Hope”).  Although Landon demonstrates real knight and shining armor potential with his romantic overtures, he doesn’t understand her priorities or support her passions like Eric does.  As Emma weighs fairytale courtship against genuine commitment, she learns that real love has more layers than storybook romances.

‘BRIDAL WAVE’

A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere

Saturday, January 24 (9p.m. ET/PT, 8C)

Starring:Arielle Kebbel, Andrew W. Walker, David Haydn-Jones and Jaclyn Smith

As her wedding day draws near, Georgie Dwyer (Kebbel) has doubts surrounding her plans to marry Dr. Phillip Hamilton (Haydn-Jones), a dashing and prominent plastic surgeon. Georgie’s anxiety level soars when an extravagant wedding ceremony is arranged at a romantic island resort. Preferring things low-key and simple, Georgie feels she’s lost control of her own wedding, as well as her life. Though Phillip qualifies as the “perfect” fiancé, Georgie feels a romantic spark is missing in their relationship. Tensions rise even further when Phillip’s sophisticated mother, Felice (Smith), blatantly frowns upon Georgie’s working class origins. On the picturesque island, Georgie keeps finding herself in chance encounters with Luke Griggs (Walker), a scruffily handsome ex-architect, who walked away from a high-end architectural firm to enjoy a simple, no-frills life.  When an undeniable chemistry develops between Georgie and Luke, Georgie must decide if she’s going to move ahead with her rapidly approaching marriage to Phillip.

‘AWAY & BACK’

A Hallmark Hall of Fame World Premiere Presentation

Sunday, January 25 (8p.m. ET/PT, 7C)

Starring: Jason Lee, Minka Kelly

When a family of swans make their home on the Peterson farm, it’s love at first sight for 10-year-old daughter Frankie.  But along comes no-nonsense ornithologist Ginny Newsom (Kelly), who rushes in to “save” the majestic birds.  For Frankie’s dad Jack (Lee), it’s dislike at first sight when he encounters pushy, know-it-all Ginny. Frankie and her brothers are anything but neutral observers as they watch the initial hostility between their widowed father and the strong-willed Ginny transform into something else.  Could that be romance in the air?

‘30THBIRTHDAY’

A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere

Saturday, January 31 (8p.m. ET/PT, 7C)

Stars: Megan Park, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Dean Cain

Lindsay Corwin (Park) is a long-time believer in birthday wishes and she has wished for everything over the years from a puppy to a promotion.  As she approaches her 30th birthday, Lindsay laments to her best friend Dave (Hollingsworth) that not one of them has ever come true and her life is nothing like she envisioned.  Still just an assistant at her green product firm, and reeling from her latest dating disaster, Lindsay is ready to give up on her long wish list.  But when Dave throws her a surprise 30th birthday party, Lindsay resolves to blow out her candles and make one final wish: for all of her wishes to come true. Within days, Lindsay’s 30 years of wishes start to become a reality.  Her divorced parents reconcile, she loses weight, is promoted at work, wins a brand new house and even gets a special kiss from her favorite TV star (Dean Cain).  Then, Lindsay meets Reed (Lemke), a passionate environmental tycoon who could fulfill her best wish of all: finding Mr. Right.  As Lindsay and Reed begin a whirlwind romance too good to be true, Dave longs to tell her about his own deepening feelings for her.  But soon, Lindsay’s new dream life starts to fall apart and threatens to compromise her character, her friendships and her potential for true, lasting love.

Hallmark Channel will flip the switch on its rebranded Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel on Oct. 1 with the hopes that it will curry favor with viewers seeking family-friendly drama and mystery-themed movies and miniseries.

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, a rebrand of the Hallmark Movie Channel, will feature originallyproduced content as well as programming from Hallmark’s library of movies, according to Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks. Abbott added whatever content migrates from Hallmark to Hallmark Movies and Mysteries will air exclusively on the rebranded channel, providing a differentiation factor between the two networks.

“Once content is dedicated to one network it will not cross over and air on another network,” Abbott said. “That’s a big point of difference to the cable landscape because most networks and network groups are very liberal in shifting programming from one network to another, and we don’t want to create that type of confusion with our brand. We want to create something unique in the consumer’s mind and in the viewer’s mind about what they’re getting with Movies and Mysteries and the Hallmark Channel.”

Hallmark will not move any of its current original series to Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, but Abbott wouldn’t rule out some original scripted fare ending up on the network. “We are really trying to zero in on what the tone and manner will be for Hallmark Movies and Mysteries,” he said. “The strategy is that drama based in series and tone will move to Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, so in that process we’re constantly re-evaluating not only our library, but things that we haven’t developed to determine which network is appropriate.”

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is one of several networks undergoing rebrands this fall. TVGN, formerly the TV Guide Channel, will rename itself Pop, while kids-targeted network The Hub will take on the Discovery moniker as Discovery Family.

Bill Carroll, vice president and director of programming for Katz Television Media Group, said that rebrands are difficult and often confusing for viewers, but the rebrand of Hallmark Channel to Hallmark Movies and Mysteries should not be as taxing for viewers.

“When you look at a cable or satellite listing at least you have some sense of what it is,” he said. “They have the potential to at least be clear on what they are, and going forward we’ll see if that has the positive impact they’re hoping for.”

For now, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is planning to air original movies on four consecutive Sundays beginning Oct. 5 with Jesse Stone: Innocence Lost, starring Tom Selleck. The block will also include Garage Sale Mystery: All That Glitters starring Lori Loughlin, the first installment in the network’s planned “Mystery Wheel” of recurring movies under one franchise. The network will produce several other Garage Sale Mystery movies in 2015.

“Bringing high-profile talent will be the strength of the network,” Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming for Hallmark Channel, said. “The idea is to create great stars, stories and mysteries for the network.”

During holiday season, Hallmark will move most of its dramatic-themed holiday content over to Movies and Mysteries, including some of the highest rated movies in Hallmark history such as The Christmas Card. Overall, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries will offer 1,300 Christmas-themed movies beginning Oct. 31, including two original films, Signed, Sealed and Delivered for Christmas and Christmas Secret.

Abbott said Hallmark Movies and Mysteries will target adults 25 to 54 with a sweet spot of women 25 to 54, which is also Hallmark Channel’s target audience. He said that he is not concerned about siphoning viewers from Hallmark Channel but instead expects Movies and Mysteries to build on its audience. Hallmark Movie Channel averaged 341,000 viewers in primetime this past summer, up 40% from last year.

“We’re not looking to go younger with one or go more male with one,” he said. “I do think Movies and Mysteries will be a strong ratings counterpart to the Hallmark Channel, and I think you’re going to see this holiday an evening out in ratings across both networks. I don’t think the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries takes a back seat to Hallmark or any other cable network.”