Lifetime (TV network)

Lifetime is an American cable and satellite television channel that is part of A+E Networks, which is jointly owned by the Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.[1][2] The channel features programming that is geared toward women or features women in lead roles.

As of August 2013, approximately 98,251,000 American households (86.03% of households with television) receive Lifetime.[3]

Contents
[hide]
 * 1 History
 * 1.1 Hearst/ABC-Viacom Entertainment Services
 * 1.2 "Television for Women" comes of age (1993–2004)
 * 1.3 Lifetime Entertainment Services
 * 1.4 A+E TV Networks
 * 2 Programming
 * 2.1 Lifetime Movies
 * 3 International versions
 * 3.1 Canada
 * 3.2 Latin America and Brazil
 * 3.3 United Kingdom
 * 3.4 Israel
 * 3.5 Asia
 * 4 In popular culture
 * 5 Lifetime Real Women
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

Hearst/ABC-Viacom Entertainment Services[edit]
Lifetime was established on February 1, 1984 as the result of a merger of Hearst-ABC Video Services's Daytime channel (which launched in March 1982 as a four-hour-per-day service with women's programming) and Viacom's Lifetime Medical Television (formerly Cable Health Network).[4][5] 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.[6] It was not an initial success, reportedly losing $36 million in its first two years of operation, and did not become profitable until 1986.[7] The channel suffered from low viewership, with a poll reportedly finding that some TV viewers erroneously believed it carried religious content.[7]

In 1985, Lifetime started branding itself as "Talk Television" with a nightly lineup of talk shows and call-in programs hosted by people like Regis Philbin and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. In the process, they dropped the apple from their logo. The idents were made by the famous branding agency Fred/Alan. The apple logo was neck-in-neck with this logo until 1986.

In 1988, Lifetime hired Patricia Fili-Krushel (then known as 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.[7] 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, and 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.[6] The network also showed movies from the portfolios of its owners, Hearst, ABC, and Viacom.[6] 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."[7]

"Television for Women" comes of age (1993–2004)[edit]
In late 1992, Thomas Burchill announced that he was stepping down as head of Lifetime. There were two candidates for his position put in front of the board: Fili-Krushel, who at that time was the senior vice president of original programming; and Douglas Walter McCormick, the executive vice president of sales.[6] In February 1993, the board elected Douglas Walter McCormick as Lifetime's chief executive officer.[8] Fili-Krushel subsequently left to become president of ABC Daytime, where she was instrumental in launching the show The View, and later became president of the ABC network.[9]

Some outside groups felt that a woman should have been named the head of the network instead of McCormick, especially since there were currently no women on the board of Hearst/Viacom Entertainment Services.[8] In response to such criticism, McCormick said, "When somebody questions my right, that is not only sexist, it is illegal. As my friend Gloria Steinem says, 'Sexism against men is no less sexism.' Certainly, Lifetime is about trying to eliminate sexism in all areas. '' [10] Under McCormick's direction, 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. Lifetime also adopted a new tagline. "Lifetime – Television for Women."[6]

Logo used from 2008 to May 2, 2012.

Meanwhile, McCormick guided the channel's original programming so that it was aimed not just as 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 cable network by Nielsen.[6]

Lifetime Entertainment Services[edit]
In 1996, TCI, one of the United States' largest cable 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.[11] According to Lifetime executives, the network stood to lose up to one million subscribers due to TCI's move.[11] 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.[6] 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 rallyed behind Lifetime.[11] 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."[11]

Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank said that the decision showed that Fox "might have an agenda of its own that is anti-woman."[11] 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 and it being an election year, and suggested to the Times that in retaliation, Disney (one of Lifetime's parent companies), may have trouble launching a new network on TCI.[11] In 1997, it was reported that Lifetime had 67.7 million subscribers.[10]''

In July 1998, Lifetime Entertainment Services created the spin-off network Lifetime Movie Network (or LMN).[12]

In November 1998, it was announced that CEO Douglas McCormick's contract would not be renewed when it was up at the end of the year.[13] Although Lifetime staff members reportedly were "dumbfounded" because the network had been so financially successful during McCormick's tenure, board members wanted someone who would "bring more vision" to the company.[13] Board members reportedly were so insistent upon hiring a woman to replace McCormick that at one point during negotiations when his contract was about to expire, McCormick threatened to bring a sex-discrimination lawsuit against them, but decided against it.[14]

In 2006, Lifetime dropped the signature slogan Television for Women that had been in use by the network since 1995.[15] 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 made its debut as part of another major rebranding with the introduction of a brand new slogan, ''Connect. Play. Share.''

A+E TV Networks[edit]
On August 27, 2009, A&E Television Networks acquired Lifetime Entertainment Services.[1][2]

Lifetime's current logo when it debuted in May 2012; modified to its current version in April 2013.

Nancy Dubuc became Lifetime's president and general manager in April 2010.[16] In the May of 2012, Lifetime unveiled a new logo and branding campaign.[17] The new slogan, "Your Life. Your Time.", "reflects how women value and experience time."[18] The new (and current) logo is the 11th in twenty years.[19] The logo was revamped and the tagline was dropped the following year.[20]

Programming[edit]
Main article: List of programs broadcast by Lifetime

Lifetime airs a mix of original broadcast content - which comprise film, reality (such as Dance Moms and Preachers' Daughters), and dramatic programming (such as Devious Maids andWitches of East End) - and second-run syndicated series (such as Frasier, How I Met Your Mother, and Grey's Anatomy). 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, 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.

Lifetime has also purchased the rights to programs that originally aired on broadcast networks and produced new episodes. 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 13 additional episodes of the series. Lifetime did not renew the show reportedly because of low ratings and the high cost to produce the program.[7] 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]

Lifetime Movies[edit]
Lifetime airs many movies targeted to women – made-for-television films produced for the channel as well as those previously broadcast on other networks, and some feature films, both on the main network (largely airing on weekends) and on Lifetime Movie Network (a spin-off digital cable and satellite channel that was launched in 1998).

Canada[edit]
Main article: Lifetime (Canada)

On May 30, 2012, Shaw Media announced that it would rebrand Showcase Diva, a Category B digital 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.[23]

Latin America and Brazil[edit]
Lifetime announced the launch of a Latin American version of the network, which launched on July 1, 2014 (in South America, Caribbean and parts of Central America) in association with Sony Pictures Television Latin America. It supplanted the now-defunct Sony Spin channel on the Amazonas satellite serving South America. In Mexico, it was launched in October 1, 2014 replacing The Biography Channel. In Brazil, the channel broadcast their series and programming fully dubbed in Portuguese.[24]

United Kingdom[edit]
Main article: Lifetime (UK and Ireland)

A+E Networks UK launched a version of Lifetime for the UK and Ireland in November 2013.[25] The shows announced to be airing on the channel are The Client List, Damages the Lifetime U.S. original movie, Liz & Dick, and an original series called The Proposers.[26]

Israel[edit]
Main article: Lifetime (Israel)

A+E Networks launched a version of Lifetime for the Israel in 14 September 2014, replaced The Biography Channel.[27]

Asia[edit]
Main article: Lifetime (South East Asia)

AETN All Asia Networks plans to bring the Lifetime channel into Southeast Asia. The channel began broadcasting on 14 June 2013, with Astro and StarHub TV being the two of the first providers to carry Lifetime in Asia. In July, available in Hong Kong now TV channel 520. And in September 1, 2014, Lifetime Asia airs in the Philippines on Dream Satellite TV channel 18 and SkyCable.[28]

In popular culture[edit]
An episode of Family Guy once parodied the network's most notable slogan ("Television for Women"), calling it "Lifetime: Television for Idiots"; "Movin' Out (Brian's Song)", a later episode of that series, showed one of the main characters watching a film which oversimplified the themes commonly featured in the channel's made-for-cable movies starring Valerie Bertinelli called Men are Terrible and Will Hurt You Because This is Lifetime.[29]

Lifetime Real Women[edit]
Lifetime Real Women (stylized as LrW) is an American digital cable channel which is intended as a complimentary 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 cable network market.[30] LRW is available in over 10 million homes via digital cable 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, along with 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 to Lifetime and LMN.

The network is unavailable via satellite; DirecTV carried the network until July 2007. Cable carriage has declined as providers choose instead to carry high definition networks rather than standard definition-only channels such as LRW without original programming.