American cable and satellite television channel
Television channel
Lifetime
is an American
basic cable
channel that is part of
Lifetime Entertainment Services
, a subsidiary of
A&E Networks
, which is jointly owned by
Hearst Communications
and
The Walt Disney Company
.
[1]
[2]
It features programming that is geared toward women or features women in lead roles.
As of November 2023
[update]
, Lifetime is available to approximately 63,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2011 peak of 100,000,000 households.
[3]
As of November 2023, Lifetime has garnered nominations for 63
Emmy Awards
, 8
Golden Globe Awards
and 20
Critics' Choice Movie Awards
.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
Predecessors
[
edit
]
There were two television channels that preceded Lifetime in its current incarnation.
Daytime
, originally called
BETA
, was launched in March 1982 by
Hearst-ABC Video Services
.
[5]
[6]
[7]
The cable service operated four hours per day on weekdays. The service was focused on alternative women's programming.
[6]
The following year, the
Cable Health Network
was launched as a full-time channel in June 1982 with a range of health-related programming.
Hearst/ABC-Viacom Entertainment Services
[
edit
]
Lifetime was established on February 1, 1984, as the result of a merger of Hearst/ABC's Daytime and
Viacom
's Cable Health Network.
[5]
[6]
A board for the new network was formed with equal representation from Hearst, ABC, and Viacom, and the board elected Thomas Burchill as the new network's first CEO.
[8]
It was not an initial success, reportedly losing $36 million in its first two years of operation, and did not become profitable until 1986.
[9]
The channel suffered from low viewership, with a poll reportedly finding that some TV viewers erroneously believed it carried religious content.
[9]
In 1985, Lifetime started branding itself as "Talk Television", with a nightly lineup of talk shows and call-in programs hosted by people including
Regis Philbin
and
Ruth Westheimer
(known as "Dr. Ruth"). In the process, the creators dropped the apple from the logo.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Lifetime devoted itself on Sundays to the airing of in-depth medical programs?and advertising?for physicians under the banner of
Lifetime Medical Television
(LMT). As early as 1990, however, plans were floated to move LMT to another channel, with
TLC
and
CNBC
being considered.
[10]
[11]
Lifetime began programming Sundays on August 1, 1993.
[12]
In 1988, Lifetime hired Patricia Fili as its head of programming. In the first three years of her tenure, she changed 60 percent of Lifetime's programming, by her own estimate.
[9]
In addition to overhauling Lifetime's signature talk show,
Attitudes
, by hiring a new producer and refocusing it on current women's issues, Fili acquired the rights to syndicated network hits like
Moonlighting
and
L.A. Law
. She also oversaw the production of the first Lifetime movies ever made, along with carrying the final three seasons of the
Blair Brown
?starring
dramedy
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
from
NBC
after the network canceled it. The network also showed movies from the portfolios of its owners, Hearst, ABC, and Viacom.
[8]
In 1991, reporter Joshua Hammer stated, "Considered one of cable TV's backwaters, [...] Lifetime network was replete with annoying gabfests for housewives and recycled, long-forgotten network television series, such as
Partners in Crime
and
MacGruder and Loud
. [...] Under Fili's direction, Lifetime has gone a long way toward shedding its low-rent image."
[9]
Douglas McCormick became the network's president in 1993. He moved to make Lifetime a seven-day-a-week network by ending Lifetime Medical Television after nearly a decade of existence, and the next year, the channel relaunched with a new tagline, "Television for Women".
[13]
Lifetime began airing a limited amount of women's sports coverage, including the
WNBA
and the
America's Cup
, in which it sponsored the first women's crew team to compete. McCormick also strengthened the network's ties with women's organizations, such as the
National Organization for Women
, and began airing
public service announcements
about women's issues, such as
breast cancer
awareness.
[8]
Meanwhile, the channel's original programming was aimed not just at women aged 24?44, but these women's spouses, who research showed watched the network in the evenings with their wives. This was done by making the male characters in Lifetime's original programming ? such as the film series
Spencer for Hire
? more appealing to men by making them more masculine. These roles were more stereotypical than previous Lifetime movies, which usually featured women protagonists on their own. This helped Lifetime take advantage of a known bias in the
Nielsen ranking system
that favored "upscale" couples who shared a television set. By January 1995, Lifetime was the sixth most-highly rated subscription network by Nielsen.
[8]
Lifetime Entertainment Services
[
edit
]
In 1996,
TCI
, one of the United States' largest subscription providers, announced that it would no longer carry Lifetime in certain markets to make room for the soon-to-be-launched
Fox News Channel
, in which TCI held a financial stake.
[14]
According to Lifetime executives, the network stood to lose up to one million subscribers due to TCI's move.
[14]
However, Lifetime published advertisements in some of the markets that would be affected ? including
Eugene, Oregon
and
Newport, Rhode Island
? informing customers that TCI was removing the only network that was made for women.
[8]
After TCI customers called the company to complain, TCI cut back the number of homes that would lose Lifetime to approximately 300,000. Still, women's groups and politicians rallied behind Lifetime.
[14]
Colorado representative
Patricia Schroeder
called TCI's decision a "power play" between TCI chief executive
John Malone
and Fox executive
Rupert Murdoch
, and said, "Women kind of feel like they're being rolled over so that the guys who run these companies can make more money."
[14]
Massachusetts Congressman
Barney Frank
said that the decision showed that Fox "might have an agenda of its own that is anti-woman."
[14]
TCI executives were surprised and angry about the public's reaction. TCI's vice president of programming was quoted in
The New York Times
as saying, "I resent the implication that they are the women's network. Other networks come in to us and say Lifetime is not telling the truth. Lifetime is a women's channel only in name and advertising. [...] It programs for ratings." TCI senior vice president Robert Thomson stated that the reaction was "laughably out of scale," based on the fact that less than 10 percent of Lifetime's audience would be affected. TCI executives chalked the politicians' reactions up to lobbying by Lifetime (it being an election year), and suggested to the
Times
that in retaliation, Disney, one of Lifetime's parent companies, might have trouble launching a new network on TCI.
[14]
In 1997, it was reported that Lifetime had 67.7 million subscribers.
[15]
A&E ownership
[
edit
]
On August 27, 2009, Lifetime was acquired by
A&E Networks
; the company was already owned by Lifetime's shareholders Hearst and Disney, but with additional shares owned by
NBC Universal
.
[16]
[17]
[1]
[2]
NBCUniversal divested its stake in A&E Networks in 2012, once again leaving the network as a Disney/Hearst joint venture.
[18]
[19]
Programming
[
edit
]
Lifetime, best known for its “women in peril” original movies
?
Chicago Tribune
, 2019
[20]
Lifetime's original content is currently composed of made-for-TV films and reality series, such as
Dance Moms
. The network states that it "is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families."
[21]
In the past, Lifetime used to air several game shows in
daytime
and early evenings, including
Supermarket Sweep
,
Shop 'til You Drop
,
Rodeo Drive
,
Born Lucky
, and
Debt
. Lifetime also produced one original game show (
Who Knows You Best?
, starring Gina St. John), with a format based on
The Newlywed Game
; it was canceled after one season. The network has also previously produced scripted dramas, such as
Devious Maids
and
Witches of East End
.
The network currently airs a mix of second-run syndicated series (such as
How I Met Your Mother
and
Grey's Anatomy
) during the daytime hours. In the past, Lifetime has revived several programs that originally aired on other networks. In 1988, it bought the rights to the existing 26 episodes of
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
from its original broadcaster
NBC
, and produced 39 additional episodes of the series. Lifetime did not renew the show reportedly because of low ratings and the high cost to produce the program.
[9]
In late 2011, the network began to air new episodes of
America's Most Wanted
, a program canceled in series form by
Fox
at the end of the 2010?11 season,
[22]
although special feature episodes continued to air intermittently on Fox. Lifetime aired more than 40 new episodes of the program before cancelling it in 2013.
[22]
On July 21, 2017, Lifetime simulcasted the premiere of
Disney Channel
's original movie
Descendants 2
; marking the first time the channel premiered a program produced for a wholly-owned Disney subsidiary.
[23]
In 2018, Lifetime premiered
Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance
, a story about the relationship between
Prince Harry
and
Meghan Markle
.
[24]
It also premiered the
James Corden
-produced
Seatbelt Psychic
with
Thomas John
.
[25]
[26]
Films
[
edit
]
In addition to feature films, as well as
made-for-television films
previously broadcast on other networks, Lifetime is known for producing various original films of its own. These films are produced by the network's own
Lifetime Pictures
unit. A movie-focused spin-off channel, known informally as the
Lifetime Movie Network
or "LMN" due to its frequent rebrands, was launched in 1998.
Sports
[
edit
]
In its early years, Lifetime occasionally broadcast coverage of
women's professional sports
. From its inaugural season in 1997 to 2000, Lifetime was one of three broadcasters of the
Women's National Basketball Association
(WNBA), alongside
NBC
and
ESPN
. In 2000, Lifetime phased out its live broadcasts and replaced them with an original series documenting the lives of WNBA players. The network stated that it wanted to focus on "stories" rather than event coverage; the program package would move to
ESPN2
.
[27]
[28]
As part of an arrangement with
Raycom Sports
, the network also broadcast the
LPGA
's
Tournament of Champions
in 1998.
[29]
In February 2017, A&E Networks acquired an equity stake in the
National Women's Soccer League
, and announced that Lifetime would broadcast a weekly, Saturday-afternoon game beginning in the 2017 season.
[30]
[31]
High-Definition
[
edit
]
Lifetime launched an HD simulcast on April 16, 2008.
[32]
International versions
[
edit
]
Canada
[
edit
]
On May 30, 2012, Canadian television broadcaster
Shaw Media
announced that it would rebrand
Showcase Diva
, a
Category B
subscription specialty channel as the Canadian version of Lifetime under a licensing agreement with A+E Networks; Showcase Diva relaunched as Lifetime on August 27, 2012.
[33]
Southeast Asia
[
edit
]
AETN All Asia Networks plans to bring the Lifetime channel into Southeast Asia. The channel began broadcasting on June 14, 2013, 6.00 p.m with
Astro
and
StarHub TV
being two of the first providers to carry Lifetime in Asia. In July, available in
Hong Kong
now TV
channel 520. And since September 1, 2014, Lifetime Asia airs in the Philippines on
Dream Satellite TV
channel 18 and
SkyCable
.
[34]
United Kingdom and Ireland
[
edit
]
A+E Networks UK launched a version of Lifetime for the UK and Ireland in November 2013.
[35]
The network was unsuccessful in the market, as Lifetime's program contractors instead distributed their programming on different networks, and it slowly lost rights over the years. The channel closed at 06:00 on March 1, 2021, after A+E Networks UK contracted with
Discovery+
to carry Lifetime's original network-produced American programming in the UK and Ireland.
[36]
Latin America
[
edit
]
Television channel
Lifetime announced the launch of a Latin American version of the network, which launched on July 1, 2014, in association with
Sony Pictures Television Latin America
.
[37]
It supplanted the now-defunct
Sony Spin
channel (formerly known as
Locomotion
from 1996 to 2005 and
Animax
from 2005 to 2011) on the Amazonas satellite serving South America. Lifetime Latin America is currently distributed by
Ole Distribution
, currently based in
Bogota
, Colombia, under license from
A+E Networks Latin America
and
Sony Pictures Television Latin America
. In
Brazil
, its programming is fully dubbed in
Portuguese
.
In Mexico, it was launched on October 1, 2014, replacing
The Biography Channel
.
Africa
[
edit
]
A+E Networks launched the African version of Lifetime on Channel 131 on DStv on July 22, 2014.
[38]
On April 25, 2022, it was announced the channel alongside Lifetime Play will cease transmission in Africa by the end of May.
[39]
Israel
[
edit
]
A+E Networks launched a version of Lifetime for Israel on September 14, 2014, replaced
The Biography Channel
.
[40]
Turkey
[
edit
]
On March 16, 2016,
A&E Television Networks
has announced that Lifetime (Turkey) channel was launched on April 26, 2016, in Turkey with cooperation of Multi Channel Developers. Lifetime Turkey is ceased operations on April 26, 2019.
[41]
South Korea
[
edit
]
A localized version of Lifetime was launched on September 22, 2017, by A+E Networks Asia-Pacific and local company
iHQ
. Its programming primarily consists of Korean dramas, talk shows, and entertainment programs.
Backstreet Rookie
is the first Korean drama invested in by the channel.
[42]
MENA
[
edit
]
In 2019,
A&E Television Networks
will launch a version of Lifetime for the
Middle East & Northern Africa
region.
[
citation needed
]
Australia
[
edit
]
A&E Television Networks
launched a version of Lifetime Movie Network for Australia on September 1, 2020, as a
joint venture
with the
Foxtel
network.
[43]
[44]
Television channel
LRW
|
|
Picture format
| 480i
(
SDTV
)
|
---|
|
Owner
| A&E Networks
|
---|
Parent
| Lifetime Entertainment Services
|
---|
|
Launched
| August 20, 2001
; 22 years ago
(
2001-08-20
)
|
---|
LRW
, or
Lifetime Real Women
, is an American
pay television
channel
which is intended as a complementary service to the main Lifetime network. It was launched in August 2001, mainly as a response to Lifetime's challenges from the then-launching
WE tv
and
Oxygen
networks for the women's network market.
[45]
LRW is available in over 10 million homes via some cable providers,
Verizon FiOS
, and
AT&T U-verse
. The network has a mixture of
comedies
, dramas, how-to, game shows and reality programming that had once aired or is currently airing on the main Lifetime network, and formerly imported series with rights held by Lifetime but no carriage due to the main network's current format. LRW also features no original series or films, deferring from Lifetime and
LMN
,
[46]
though it did
burn off
the 2011 Lifetime reality series
Love Handles: Couples in Crisis
, which only aired twice on the main network.
DirecTV carried the network until July 2007.
Orby TV
also carried the network for the last year of that service's existence.
Overall carriage has declined as providers choose instead to carry high definition networks rather than standard definition-only channels such as LRW without original programming, and Lifetime itself promoting on-demand access to past series. Its programming has further been thinned out with the launch of
Defy TV
, a
Scripps
-owned digital broadcast network which draws from Lifetime's program archive for its own schedule, with
Tegna
's own network
Twist
(wound down at the end of 2023) also airing some outside-produced Lifetime programming.
Lifetime Movie Club
[
edit
]
On July 2, 2015, Lifetime launched a streaming service branded as Lifetime Movie Club.
[47]
The service offers over 2,000 titles, both originally-produced and acquired by
Lifetime
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Schneider, Michael (August 27, 2009).
"A&E Acquires Lifetime"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on March 3, 2017
. Retrieved
April 11,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Atkinson, Claire (August 27, 2009).
"A&E Networks, Lifetime Merger Completed"
.
Broadcasting & Cable
.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2013
. Retrieved
April 11,
2017
.
- ^
"U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 ? 2023"
.
wrestlenomics.com
. May 14, 2024
. Retrieved
July 28,
2019
.
- ^
Longeretta, Emily (November 19, 2023).
"Lifetime Hits Massive Milestone? and Has No Plans to Slow Down"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
April 24,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
(June 15, 1983)
Hearst-ABC, Viacom in Pact
Archived
July 1, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine
. New York Times.
- ^
a
b
c
Lifetime Entertainment Services History
Archived
May 2, 2015, at the
Wayback Machine
. International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 32. St. James Press, 2000. Hosted on Funding Universe.com. Retrieved on December 4, 2013.
- ^
"ABC and Hearst Set Up Women's Cable TV; ABC and Hearst Set Up Cable TV Unit for Women"
.
The New York Times
. January 30, 1981.
Archived
from the original on June 25, 2018
. Retrieved
April 13,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Meehan, Eileen and Jackie Byars. "Telefeminism: How Lifetime Got Its Groove: 1984?1997."
The Television Studies Reader
Archived
June 17, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
.
Psychology Press
, 2004.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Hammer, Joshua. "Programmer Revives Lifetime Cable Channel"
(Page 1)
Archived
February 25, 2021, at the
Wayback Machine
,
(Page 2)
Archived
February 24, 2021, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
(South Carolina), July 13, 1991. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^
"Medical move"
(PDF)
.
Broadcasting
. November 12, 1990. pp. 6, 10.
- ^
"New life for LMT"
(PDF)
.
Broadcasting
. August 26, 1991. pp. 6, 7.
- ^
Flint, Joe (July 19, 1993).
"Cable nets line up for fall"
(PDF)
.
Broadcasting & Cable
. p. 14.
- ^
Walley, Wayne (November 28, 1994).
"Lifetime marks evolution with ad, promo campaigns"
.
Electronic Media
. p. 18 – via Internet Archive.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Carter, Bill.
"Plan to Cut TV Channel Angers Women's Groups
Archived
July 1, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine
."
The New York Times
, September 14, 1996. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^
Winfrey, Lee.
"The Man Who Leads A Women's Channel, Doug McCormick, Has Raised Lifetime's Visibility
Archived
January 9, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
."
The Philadelphia Inquirer
, June 22, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^
A&E Acquires Lifetime
Archived
November 2, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Variety.com
, August 27, 2009
- ^
A&E Networks, Lifetime Merger Completed
Archived
July 29, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Broadcasting & Cable
, August 27, 2009
- ^
Goldsmith, Jill (July 10, 2012).
"Comcast to sell A&E stake for $3 billion: A&E to redeem the 15.8% stake"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on February 23, 2013
. Retrieved
July 11,
2012
.
- ^
Lakritz, Talia (January 28, 2020).
"14 companies you didn't realize Disney owns"
.
Insider
. Retrieved
September 22,
2021
.
- ^
Yahr, Emily (2019-01-18).
"
'You' was ignored on Lifetime, then it blew up on Netflix ? what does it mean for TV's future?"
.
Chicago Tribune
. Retrieved
2024-05-21
.
- ^
Press Release from A+E Networks: Lifetime Locks in Double-Digit Year-Over-Year Growth for Second Quarter 2013...
Archived
2013-11-10 at the
Wayback Machine
, July 2, 2013. AENetworks.com, retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^
a
b
Goldberg, Lesley.
Lifetime Cancels 'America's Most Wanted'
Archived
July 1, 2020, at the
Wayback Machine
,
The Hollywood Reporter
, March 28, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^
"Disney Channel's 'Descendants 2' to Premiere on Five TV Networks"
. 25 April 2017.
- ^
Andreeva, Nellie (January 15, 2018).
"Prince Harry & Meghan Markle TV Movie Set At Lifetime"
.
Deadline
.
Archived
from the original on January 16, 2018
. Retrieved
January 17,
2018
.
- ^
Melas, Chloe (2018-07-06).
"What do James Corden and a psychic have in common?"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
2022-08-28
.
- ^
"What If Your Uber Driver Was Also Communing With Your Deceased Grandparents?"
.
Vogue
. 2018-07-11
. Retrieved
2022-08-28
.
- ^
"Lifetime shifts its WNBA games to ESPN2"
.
Sports Business Daily
.
Archived
from the original on February 4, 2017
. Retrieved
February 3,
2017
.
- ^
"WNBA coverage on Lifetime"
.
Chicago Tribune
.
Archived
from the original on February 4, 2017
. Retrieved
February 3,
2017
.
- ^
"LPGA SIGNS DEAL TO SHOW TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS ON LIFETIME"
.
Sports Business Daily
.
Archived
from the original on February 4, 2017
. Retrieved
February 3,
2017
.
- ^
"Lifetime To Air National Women's Soccer League Games As A+E Networks Kicks In For Equity Stake"
.
Deadline.com
. 2 February 2017.
Archived
from the original on February 3, 2017
. Retrieved
February 3,
2017
.
- ^
"A+E Networks, National Women's Soccer League Ink Major Deal"
.
Variety
. 2 February 2017.
Archived
from the original on February 3, 2017
. Retrieved
February 3,
2017
.
- ^
Eggerton, John (April 16, 2008).
"Lifetime Television Launches HD Channel"
.
Broadcasting & Cable
. Retrieved
May 18,
2020
.
- ^
Shaw Media and A&E to Launch Two New Specialty Channels
Archived
March 29, 2016, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Broadcaster Magazine
, May 30, 2012
- ^
"Lifetime and H2 roll out across Southeast Asia"
.
realscreen
.
Archived
from the original on March 30, 2016
. Retrieved
November 6,
2013
.
- ^
"November UK launch for A+E's Lifetime"
. Broadband TV News. September 29, 2013.
Archived
from the original on November 29, 2016
. Retrieved
October 3,
2013
.
- ^
"Lifetime finally shuts down"
. 18 February 2021.
Archived
from the original on February 21, 2021
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
Llega un nuevo canal en el mes de Julio
Archived
April 29, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Otros Cines TV
, April 28, 2014.
- ^
"Lifetime Africa"
.
Twitter.com
.
Archived
from the original on January 26, 2021
. Retrieved
January 17,
2021
.
- ^
"Insidus: As Expected, A+E Networks Africa Closing Lifetime Africa Channel"
. 25 April 2022.
- ^
"Bio to rebrand to Lifetime in Israel"
. Digital TV Europe. September 11, 2014.
Archived
from the original on March 7, 2016
. Retrieved
January 23,
2015
.
- ^
"Lifetime TV yakında Turkiye'de!"
.
Yeni Yeni ?eyler
.
Archived
from the original on March 16, 2016
. Retrieved
March 16,
2016
.
- ^
"Ji Chang-wook and Kim Yoo-jung Confirm Roles in "Backstreet Rookie" by the PD of "The Fiery Priest"
"
.
Hancinema
. January 29, 2020.
Archived
from the original on June 12, 2020
. Retrieved
May 21,
2020
.
- ^
Knox, David (August 3, 2020).
"Foxtel adds Lifetime Movie Network"
.
TV Tonight
.
Archived
from the original on October 21, 2020
. Retrieved
October 11,
2020
.
- ^
"Foxtel launches Lifetime Movie Network"
.
Mumbrella
. August 4, 2020.
Archived
from the original on September 24, 2020
. Retrieved
October 11,
2020
.
- ^
Levin, Gary (April 11, 2001).
"Lifetime adds 'Real Women' to its networks"
.
USA Today
.
Archived
from the original on December 12, 2013
. Retrieved
January 8,
2014
.
- ^
"LMN: Watch Classic and Original Lifetime Movies on LMN"
.
Lifetime Movie Network
. Retrieved
2022-04-13
.
- ^
"Lifetime Movie Club | Watch New & Classic Lifetime Movies"
.
Lifetime Movie Club
. Retrieved
2022-04-13
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Current
| |
---|
Former
| 1980s-1990s debuts
| |
---|
2000s debuts
| |
---|
2010s debuts
| |
---|
2020s debuts
| |
---|
|
---|
|
---|
U.S. networks
| |
---|
International
networks
(joint venture
partner)
|
- A+E Turkey (
Digiturk
)
- A+E Networks Italy
- AETN
18
Media Pvt. Ltd.
| A+E UK (
Sky
)
| |
---|
A+E Germany
| |
---|
A+E Latin America
(Ole Communications)
| |
---|
A+E Asia
| |
---|
Foxtel
(AU licensee)
| |
---|
Corus
(Canada licensee)
| |
---|
History Channel Iberia
(with
AMC Southern Europe
)
| |
---|
|
---|
|
|
---|
1970s
| |
---|
1980s
| |
---|
1990s
| |
---|
2000s
| |
---|
2010s
| |
---|
2020s
| |
---|