 Tenth and current Lifetime logo, introduced in 2020 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | A+E Global Media |
| Parent | Lifetime Entertainment Services |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | February 1, 1984; 41 years ago (1984-02-01) |
| Replaced | Cable Health Network Daytime (Lifetime is a merger of the two formerly separate channels, and it was owned byViacom from its launch in 1984 until 1994) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Service(s) | Frndly TV,Hulu + Live TV,Philo,Sling TV |
Lifetime is an Americanbasic cable channel that is part ofLifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary ofA+E Global Media, which is jointly owned byHearst Communications andThe 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 63Emmy Awards, eightGolden Globe Awards and 20Critics' Choice Movie Awards.[4]
There were two television channels that preceded Lifetime in its current incarnation.Daytime, originally calledBETA, was launched in March 1982 byHearst-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, theCable Health Network was launched as a full-time channel in June 1982 with a range of health-related programming.
Lifetime was established on February 1, 1984, as the result of a merger of Hearst/ABC's Daytime andViacom'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 includingRegis Philbin andRuth 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 ofLifetime Medical Television (LMT). As early as 1990, however, plans were floated to move LMT to another channel, withTLC andCNBC 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 likeMoonlighting andL.A. Law. She also oversaw the production of the first Lifetime movies ever made, along with carrying the final three seasons of theBlair Brown–starringdramedyThe Days and Nights of Molly Dodd fromNBC 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 asPartners in Crime andMacGruder 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 theWNBA and theAmerica'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 theNational Organization for Women, and began airingpublic service announcements about women's issues, such asbreast 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 seriesSpencer 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 theNielsen 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]
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-launchedFox 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 – includingEugene, Oregon andNewport, 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 representativePatricia Schroeder called TCI's decision a "power play" between TCI chief executiveJohn Malone and Fox executiveRupert 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 CongressmanBarney 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 inThe 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 theTimes 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]
On August 27, 2009, Lifetime was acquired byA&E Networks; the company was already owned by Lifetime's shareholders Hearst and Disney, but with additional shares owned byNBCUniversal.[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]
Lifetime, best known for its "women in peril" original movies
— Chicago Tribune, 2019[20]
Lifetime's original content is currently[when?] composed of made-for-TV films and reality series, such asDance 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 indaytime and early evenings, includingSupermarket Sweep,Shop 'til You Drop,Rodeo Drive,Born Lucky, andDebt. Lifetime also produced one original game show (Who Knows You Best?, starring Gina St. John), with a format based onThe Newlywed Game; it was canceled after one season. The network has also previously produced scripted dramas, such asDevious Maids andWitches of East End.
The network currently airs a mix of second-run syndicated series (such asHow I Met Your Mother andGrey'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 ofThe Days and Nights of Molly Dodd from its original broadcasterNBC, 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 ofAmerica's Most Wanted, a program canceled in series form byFox 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 ofDisney Channel's original movieDescendants 2; marking the first time the channel premiered a program produced for a wholly owned Disney subsidiary.[23]
In 2018, Lifetime premieredHarry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, a story about the relationship betweenPrince Harry andMeghan Markle.[24] It also premiered theJames Corden-producedSeatbelt Psychic withThomas John.[25][26]
In addition to feature films, as well asmade-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 ownLifetime Pictures unit. A movie-focused spin-off channel, known informally as theLifetime Movie Network or "LMN" due to its frequent rebrands, was launched in 1998.
In its early years, Lifetime occasionally broadcast coverage ofwomen's professional sports. From its inaugural season in 1997 to 2000, Lifetime was one of three broadcasters of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA), alongsideNBC andESPN. 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 toESPN2.[27][28] As part of an arrangement withRaycom Sports, the network also broadcast theLPGA'sTournament of Champions in 1998.[29]
In February 2017, A&E Networks acquired an equity stake in theNational Women's Soccer League, and announced that Lifetime would broadcast a weekly, Saturday-afternoon game beginning in the 2017 season.[30][31]
Lifetime launched an HD simulcast on April 16, 2008.[32]
On May 30, 2012, Canadian television broadcasterShaw Media announced that it would rebrandShowcase Diva, aCategory 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]
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 withAstro andStarHub TV being two of the first providers to carry Lifetime in Asia. In July, available inHong Kongnow TV channel 520. And since September 1, 2014, Lifetime Asia airs in the Philippines onDream Satellite TV channel 18 andSkyCable.[34]
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 withDiscovery+ to carry Lifetime's original network-produced American programming in the UK and Ireland.[36]
| Broadcast area | Latin America |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Languages | Spanish,Portuguese |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | A&E Networks Sony Pictures Television |
| Sister channels | A&E History H2 Sony Channel AXN |
| History | |
| Launched | July 1, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-07-01) |
| Replaced | Sony Spin |
| Links | |
| Website | Lifetime Latin America Lifetime Brazil |
Lifetime announced the launch of a Latin American version of the network, which launched on July 1, 2014, in association withSony Pictures Television Latin America.[37] It supplanted the now-defunctSony Spin channel (formerly known asLocomotion from 1996 to 2005 andAnimax from 2005 to 2011) on the Amazonas satellite serving South America. Lifetime Latin America is currently distributed byOle Distribution, currently based inBogotá, Colombia, under license fromA+E Networks Latin America andSony Pictures Television Latin America. InBrazil, its programming is fully dubbed inPortuguese.
In Mexico, it was launched on October 1, 2014, replacingThe Biography Channel.
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 would cease transmission in Africa by the end of May.[39]
A+E Networks launched a version of Lifetime for Israel on September 14, 2014, replacingThe Biography Channel.[40]
On March 16, 2016,A&E Television Networks announced that Lifetime (Turkey) channel would be launched on April 26, 2016, in Turkey with the cooperation of Multi Channel Developers. Lifetime Turkey ceased operations on April 26, 2019.[41]
A localized version of Lifetime was launched on September 22, 2017, by A+E Networks Asia-Pacific and local companyiHQ. 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]
In 2019,A&E Television Networks was scheduled to launch a version of Lifetime for theMiddle East & Northern Africa region.[citation needed]
A&E Television Networks launched a version of Lifetime Movie Network for Australia on September 1, 2020, as ajoint venture with theFoxtel network.[43][44]
 | |
| Programming | |
|---|---|
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Parent | Lifetime Entertainment Services |
| History | |
| Launched | August 20, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-08-20) |
LRW, orLifetime Real Women, is an Americanpay televisionchannel 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-launchingWE tv andOxygen networks for the women's network market.[45] LRW is available in over 10 million homes via some cable providers,Verizon FiOS, andAT&T U-verse. The network has a mixture ofcomedies, 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 andLMN,[46] though it didburn off the 2011 Lifetime reality seriesLove 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, along with broadcast venues such asStart TV, the defunctTwist andTrueReal subchannel networks, and ad-supported streamingFAST channels.
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 byLifetime.