| Lifetime | |
|---|---|
| Launched | February 1, 1984 |
| Owned by | A&E Television Networks (Hearst Corporation (42.5%) Disney-ABC Television Group (42.5%) NBCUniversal (15%)) |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Slogan | Connect. Play. Share. |
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | United States |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Formerly called | Daytime (1982–1984) Cable Health Network (1982–1984) |
| Sister channel(s) | Lifetime Movie Network Lifetime Real Women A&E Network The Biography Channel History H2 |
| Website | www.mylifetime.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 252 (SD/HD) |
| Dish Network | Channel 108 (SD/HD) |
| Cable | |
| Available on most cable systems | Check local listings |
| IPTV | |
| Verizon FiOS | Channel 140 (SD) Channel 640 (HD) |
| AT&T U-verse | Channel 360 (SD) Channel 1360 (HD) |
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is jointly owned by A&E Television Networks, Hearst Corporation, and Disney, with NBC Universal holding a minority stake. Lifetime's main competitors as "women's channels" are Oxygen and WE tv, although both of those services have substantially lower ratings than Lifetime.
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Lifetime was established as the result of a merger of Hearst's Daytime network, established in March 1982 as a four hour per day service with women's programming and Viacom's Cable Health Network, established in June 1982 as a 24-hour service that carried health and wellness programming.
The service originally aired women's daytime programming, and later, talk shows, Monday through Saturdays, and offered the Lifetime Medical Television service on Sundays from November 1983 to June 1993 carrying programming for health professionals. Lifetime was a property of Lifetime Entertainment Services, which owned a number of media ventures. Viacom remained as co-owner with ABC/Capital Cities and Hearst until 1994.
In April 2004, Lifetime launched Lifetime Radio for Women, a daily nationally syndicated four-hour morning block mixing adult contemporary music, live caller interaction, celebrity guests and lively discussions about the topics relating to women. In partnership with Jones Radio Networks, the service airs Monday to Friday from 5 to 9 AM or 6 to 10 AM, depending on the market.
Around 2005, Lifetime dropped its signature tagline Television for Women (used since 1995). The cable network launched a new look and tagline on July 16, 2006 with the launch of the (now-defunct) original series Angela's Eyes, using a new logo and promotions with the tagline My story is on Lifetime. In 2008 a brand new logo appeared with a brand new tagline: Connect. Play. Share.
On March 31, 2005, Betty Cohen, previously an executive at Turner Broadcasting Services, was named CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services according to the Walt Disney Company.[1]
On August 27, 2009, A&E Television Networks, the owner of A&E Network, History and others, acquired Lifetime Entertainment Services.[2][3] Though the channel is owned by another subsidiary company operated as a joint venture, Lifetime and its cable networks remain under the co-ownership of The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation, though NBC Universal became partial owner of the Lifetime channels as well since NBCU already was a part owner of A&E Television Networks.
Nancy Dubuc became Lifetime's president and general manager in April 2010.[4]
Among the most popular shows currently on the channel are Will & Grace, Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Reba, Project Runway and Grey's Anatomy. The cable network also airs original television programming such as Army Wives and Drop Dead Diva.
In addition, Lifetime airs many movies targeted to women—original and other networks' made-for-television films and some feature films, both on the main network (and largely airing on weekends) and on Lifetime Movie Network (launched in 1998).
Aside from women's programming, the network used to air several game shows in prime time, including Supermarket Sweep, Shop 'Til You Drop 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. In early October of 2011 the network announced they would broadcast America's Most Wanted in early 2012.
Because of the obvious feminine slant to the network's programming, Lifetime is often jokingly referred to as The Estrogen Channel, or "Wifetime" and many criticize the network's over-reliance on formulaic made for TV movies, including the "women in jeopardy" or "woman scorned" theme common on films produced by the network, archived product which aired on the major networks in the 1980s and 1990s, and outside producers airing their work on the network. Other comedy programs have satirized Lifetime's sometimes sentimental programming. Family Guy once parodied their slogan, making it Lifetime: Television for Idiots, and in another episode showed one of the main characters watching a Lifetime-like film which oversimplified those themes starring Valerie Bertinelli called Men are Terrible and Will Hurt You Because This is Lifetime.[5]
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