Streamers Crash Linear's Holiday TV Party

Discovery and its streaming service Discovery+ are known for their wealth of unscripted series. For the holidays, though, the company's streamer is trying out something new: its first-ever step into scripted fare with Candy Coated Christmas, a holiday movie featuring Ree Drummond of Food Network's Pioneer Woman fame. Candy Coated Christmas is just one example of how holiday movies are becoming a fast-growing and increasingly essential genre in streaming services' libraries. For years, cable networks like Hallmark Channel, Freeform and Lifetime have turned their holiday marathon programming into one of the most lucrative times of the year. But those offerings are also key for streaming services that want to capitalize on consumers' holiday viewing habits. Holiday movies have long been a reliable driver of audiences and advertising dollars, even before streaming video services became ubiquitous.