Inside Great American Media: Bill Abbott’s Great American BreakoutAmerican Christmas 2026
Inside Great American Media: Bill Abbott’s Great American Breakout
Great American Media posts one of the most impressive growth years in family and faith entertainment.
NEW YORK, Dec. 30, 2025 — Under Bill Abbott’s leadership, Great American Media closed 2025 not just with growth but with major strategic wins that reshaped its footprint in the entertainment industry. While the broader media landscape grappled with fragmentation and shifting consumption habits, Great American Media’s commitment to family-centered, values-driven content delivered breakthroughs in audience reach, distribution, and cultural relevance.
Abbott’s clear vision — rooted in trust, connection, and content that celebrates faith, family, and country — produced one of the most compelling success stories in entertainment this year.
Audience Growth and Distribution Expansion
Great American Family and its sister network Great American Faith & Living achieved significant distribution milestones. Both networks joined YouTube TV’s live channel lineup, expanding linear reach into millions more households nationwide and strengthening the company’s appeal to cord-cutting audiences who still value scheduled, appointment programming.
In streaming, Great American Media rolled out its direct-to-consumer GFam+ app across all major platforms, giving viewers seamless access to its growing library of original films and series anytime, anywhere. Availability on platforms like YouTube’s Primetime Channels further amplified this reach and supported cross-platform audience growth.
Original Content Fueled Growth
2025 marked a major shift into sustained original series production, setting the stage for a robust 2026. Hits like When Hope
Calls and County Rescue wrapped production on their third seasons, building franchise continuity and deepening audience investment.
The breakout success of Crossroad Springs stands out as a true network milestone. After its first season became one of the most-watched original dramas in Great American Media history, the series was renewed for Season 2 with expanded distribution across Great American Pure Flix, Great American Family, and GFam+. The network also premiered a Crossroad Springs Christmas music special tied to its fifth annual Christmas season.
Abbott’s focus on compelling storytelling paid dividends. This year’s Christmas slate, highlighted by a lineup of more than a dozen original films starring major talents like Candace Cameron Bure and Mario Lopez reinforced Great American Family’s identity as a destination for heart-centered holiday content. Coverage in national press underscored the breadth of the 2025 holiday film slate and the network’s growing cultural relevance.
Cinematic and Cultural Milestones
Great American Media hit a significant milestone with Another Sweet Christmas, the first theatrical release of a Great American Christmas Original, presented in partnership with Fathom Entertainment. The three-night nationwide engagement in more than 700 theaters brought the brand’s storytelling to the big screen and created a rare event-style theatrical moment for a faith-and-family-oriented feature.
Building on that momentum, production began in 2025 on the follow-up film A Sweet Christmas Anniversary, with a planned world premiere in 2026, signaling GAM’s commitment to expanding its film slate beyond television and streaming.
Great American Media also served as the exclusive broadcast home for the 2025 National Christmas Tree Lighting, bringing a national tradition into homes with performances from artists rooted in the network’s community and values. The event’s reach underscored GAM’s role as a cultural convenor during the holiday season.
Strategic Innovation and Market Positioning
Beyond programming, Great American Media enhanced its industry profile with key commercial initiatives. The company integrated its GAM Connect linear advertising solution with Audyns, giving advertisers data- driven tools to plan and measure campaigns across its networks with greater precision. This move positioned GAM as both a creative and commercial partner in the evolving media ecosystem.
Looking Ahead: Growth and Major Partnerships
Abbott closed the year with forward-looking announcements that set the tone for 2026. Great American Media became a media partner with America Reads the Bible, supporting a historic nationwide reading event scheduled for April 18–25, 2026. The collaboration aligns with the company’s mission and extends its influence into community-focused cultural programming.
On the streaming front, Great American Media revealed plans to launch Pure Flix Familia, a dedicated Spanish- language platform designed to serve one of the fastest-growing audience segments in faith-based entertainment. This expansion reflects a broader strategy to welcome diverse communities with meaningful, values-aligned content.
A Year of Momentum
Across platforms, content, and culture, 2025 was a defining year for Great American Media. Abbott’s leadership translated into measurable audience growth, expanded distribution, enhanced advertiser relationships, and cultural relevance that extended beyond screens into national conversation. With an ambitious slate of originals, new franchise extensions, and deeper audience engagement, Great American Media enters 2026 with momentum built on a distinct identity and growing industry influence.
ABOUT GREAT AMERICAN MEDIA
Great American Media, the leader in faith and family programming, is home to a portfolio of entertainment brands that celebrate faith, family, and country, including Great American Family, the flagship linear network featuring original Christmas movies, rom-coms, and beloved series; Great American Pure Flix, the leading faith and family streaming service; Great American Faith & Living, the unscripted companion network; and GFam+,
an app that lets viewers watch anytime, anywhere. Great America Media is available via cable, streaming on Pure Flix and YouTube TV, and on the GFam+ app. Great American Media was established in June 2021 by Bill Abbott and a group of US-based family offices.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Debbie Long Davis 512.537.1414 media@crosswindpr.com
