View source for Lifetime (TV channel)

{{Short description|American cable and satellite television channel}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = Lifetime
| logo = Logo Lifetime 2020.svg
| logo_alt = 
| logo_caption = Tenth and current Lifetime logo, introduced in 2020
| image = 
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|1984|2|1}}
| picture_format = [[1080i]] [[High-definition television|HDTV]]
| owner = [[A+E Global Media]]
| parent = [[Lifetime Entertainment Services]]
| headquarters = [[New York City]], New York
| language = [[English Language|English]]
| country = [[United States]]
| sister_channels = {{Plainlist|
* [[LMN (TV channel)|LMN]]
* [[#LRW|LRW]]
}}
| former_names = 
| replaced =  [[Cable Health Network]]<br />Daytime (Lifetime is a merger of the two formerly separate channels, and it was owned by [[Viacom (1952–2005)|Viacom]] from its launch in 1984 until 1994)
| website = {{official url}}
| online_serv_1 = Service(s)
| online_chan_1 = [[Frndly TV]], [[Hulu#Hulu + Live TV service|Hulu + Live TV]], [[Philo (company)|Philo]], [[Sling TV]]
}}

'''Lifetime''' is an American [[basic cable]] channel that is part of [[Lifetime Entertainment Services]], a subsidiary of [[A+E Global Media]], which is jointly owned by [[Hearst Communications]] and [[The Walt Disney Company]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2009/scene/markets-festivals/a-e-acquires-lifetime-1118007820/|title=A&E Acquires Lifetime|last=Schneider|first=Michael|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=August 27, 2009|access-date=April 11, 2017|archive-date=March 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303063516/http://variety.com/2009/scene/markets-festivals/a-e-acquires-lifetime-1118007820/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="broadcastingcable.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/329151-A_E_Networks_Lifetime_Merger_Completed.php|title=A&E Networks, Lifetime Merger Completed|last=Atkinson|first=Claire|work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=August 27, 2009|access-date=April 11, 2017|archive-date=July 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729085925/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/329151-A_E_Networks_Lifetime_Merger_Completed.php|url-status=live}}</ref> It features programming that is geared toward women or features women in lead roles.
{{As of|2023|11}}, 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrestlenomics.com/u-s-cable-network-households-universe-1990-2023-nielsen-data/|title=U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990–2023|website=wrestlenomics.com|date=May 14, 2024|access-date=July 28, 2019}}</ref>

As of November 2023, Lifetime has garnered nominations for 63 [[Emmy Awards]], eight [[Golden Globe Awards]] and 20 [[Critics' Choice Movie Awards]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Longeretta | first=Emily | title=Lifetime Hits Massive Milestone— and Has No Plans to Slow Down | website=Variety | date=November 19, 2023 | url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/focus/lifetime-500th-movie-40-years-1235790743/ | access-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref>

==History==
===Predecessors===
There were two television channels that preceded Lifetime in its current incarnation. '''Daytime''', originally called '''BETA''', was launched in March 1982 by [[Lifetime Entertainment Services|Hearst-ABC Video Services]].<ref name="nyt">(June 15, 1983) [https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/15/business/hearst-abc-viacom-in-pact.html Hearst-ABC, Viacom in Pact] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701022143/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/15/business/hearst-abc-viacom-in-pact.html |date=July 1, 2017 }}. New York Times.</ref><ref name="idc">[http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/lifetime-entertainment-services-history/ Lifetime Entertainment Services History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502061412/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/lifetime-entertainment-services-history/ |date=May 2, 2015 }}. International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 32. St. James Press, 2000. Hosted on Funding Universe.com. Retrieved on December 4, 2013.</ref><ref name=nyt0>{{cite news|title=ABC and Hearst Set Up Women's Cable TV; ABC and Hearst Set Up Cable TV Unit for Women|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/30/arts/abc-hearst-set-up-women-s-cable-tv-abc-hearst-set-up-cable-tv-unit-for-women.html|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 30, 1981|archive-date=June 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625161410/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/30/arts/abc-hearst-set-up-women-s-cable-tv-abc-hearst-set-up-cable-tv-unit-for-women.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The cable service operated four hours per day on weekdays. The service was focused on alternative women's programming.<ref name=idc/> The following year, the [[Lifetime Entertainment Services#Cable Health Network|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===
Lifetime was established on February 1, 1984, as the result of a merger of Hearst/ABC's Daytime and [[Viacom (1952–2005)|Viacom]]'s Cable Health Network.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name=idc/>  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.<ref name=":4">Meehan, Eileen and Jackie Byars. "Telefeminism: How Lifetime Got Its Groove: 1984–1997." [https://books.google.com/books?id=pf5QEQkbePsC The Television Studies Reader] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617201146/http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Television_Studies_Reader.html?id=pf5QEQkbePsC |date=June 17, 2014 }}. [[Psychology Press]], 2004.</ref> It was not an initial success, reportedly losing $36 million in its first two years of operation, and did not become profitable until 1986.<ref name=":1">Hammer, Joshua. "Programmer Revives Lifetime Cable Channel" [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sLUeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0M4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1722%2C3422359 (Page 1)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225180539/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sLUeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0M4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1722%2C3422359 |date=February 25, 2021 }}, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sLUeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0M4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2229%2C3446794 (Page 2)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224175356/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sLUeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0M4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2229%2C3446794 |date=February 24, 2021 }}, ''[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]'' (South Carolina), July 13, 1991. Retrieved July 7, 2013.</ref> The channel suffered from low viewership, with a poll reportedly finding that some TV viewers erroneously believed it carried religious content.<ref name=":1" />

[[File:RuthWestheimer-a.jpg|thumb|[[Ruth Westheimer]]]]

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 (TV network)|TLC]] and [[CNBC]] being considered.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1990/BC-1990-11-12.pdf|date=November 12, 1990|work=Broadcasting|pages=6, 10|title=Medical move}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1991/BC-1991-08-26.pdf|work=Broadcasting|date=August 26, 1991|pages=6, 7|title=New life for LMT}}</ref> Lifetime began programming Sundays on August 1, 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1993/BC-1993-07-19.pdf|date=July 19, 1993|title=Cable nets line up for fall|page=14|first=Joe|last=Flint|work=Broadcasting & Cable}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":1" /> In addition to overhauling Lifetime's signature talk show, ''[[Attitudes (TV series)|Attitudes]]'', by hiring a new producer and refocusing it on current women's issues, Fili acquired the rights to syndicated network hits like ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|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.<ref name=":4" /> 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 (U.S. TV series)|Partners in Crime]]'' and ''[[MacGruder and Loud]]''. [...] Under Fili's direction, Lifetime has gone a long way toward shedding its low-rent image."<ref name=":1" />

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".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_televisionweek_1994-11-28_13_48/page/n17/|work=Electronic Media|date=November 28, 1994|page=18|first=Wayne|last=Walley|title=Lifetime marks evolution with ad, promo campaigns|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> 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 announcement]]s about women's issues, such as [[breast cancer]] awareness.<ref name=":4" />

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 ratings|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.<ref name=":4" />

===Lifetime Entertainment Services===
In 1996, [[Tele-Communications Inc.|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.<ref name=":10">Carter, Bill. [https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/14/business/plan-to-cut-tv-channel-angers-women-s-groups.html "Plan to Cut TV Channel Angers Women's Groups] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701032019/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/14/business/plan-to-cut-tv-channel-angers-women-s-groups.html |date=July 1, 2017 }}." ''The New York Times'', September 14, 1996. Retrieved July 7, 2013.</ref> According to Lifetime executives, the network stood to lose up to one million subscribers due to TCI's move.<ref name=":10" /> 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.<ref name=":4" /> 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.<ref name=":10" /> 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."<ref name=":10" />

Massachusetts Congressman [[Barney Frank]] said that the decision showed that Fox "might have an agenda of its own that is anti-woman."<ref name=":10" /> 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.<ref name=":10" /> In 1997, it was reported that Lifetime had 67.7 million subscribers.<ref name=":7">Winfrey, Lee. [http://articles.philly.com/1997-06-22/entertainment/25524963_1_thomas-f-burchill-dawn-tarnofsky-cable-health-network "The Man Who Leads A Women's Channel, Doug McCormick, Has Raised Lifetime's Visibility] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109235100/http://articles.philly.com/1997-06-22/entertainment/25524963_1_thomas-f-burchill-dawn-tarnofsky-cable-health-network |date=January 9, 2014 }}." ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', June 22, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2013.</ref>

===A&E ownership===
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 [[NBCUniversal]].<ref>[https://variety.com/2009/scene/markets-festivals/a-e-acquires-lifetime-1118007820/ A&E Acquires Lifetime], ''Variety.com'', August 27, 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/329151-A_E_Networks_Lifetime_Merger_Completed.php A&E Networks, Lifetime Merger Completed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729085925/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/329151-A_E_Networks_Lifetime_Merger_Completed.php |date=July 29, 2013 }}, ''Broadcasting & Cable'', August 27, 2009</ref><ref name=":0"/><ref name="broadcastingcable.com"/> NBCUniversal divested its stake in A&E Networks in 2012, once again leaving the network as a Disney/Hearst joint venture.<ref name=vty0>{{cite news |last=Goldsmith |first=Jill |title=Comcast to sell A&E stake for $3 billion: A&E to redeem the 15.8% stake |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/07/10/comcast-to-sell-ae-stake-for-3-billion-ae-to-redeem-the-158-stake/ |access-date=July 11, 2012 |newspaper=Variety |date=July 10, 2012 |archive-date=February 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223025202/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-10/entertainment/sns-201207101512reedbusivarietynvr1118056402-20120710_1_nbcuniversal-comcast-stake |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Disney Brands">{{cite web |url=https://www.insider.com/companies-disney-owns |title=14 companies you didn't realize Disney owns |last=Lakritz |first=Talia |date=January 28, 2020 |website=Insider |access-date=September 22, 2021}}</ref>

==Programming==
{{Main|List of programs broadcast by Lifetime}}
{{See also|Category:Lifetime (TV channel) original programming}}

{{Blockquote|Lifetime, best known for its "women in peril" original movies|''Chicago Tribune'', 2019<ref name="yahr20190118">{{Cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |date=2019-01-18 |title='You' was ignored on Lifetime, then it blew up on Netflix — what does it mean for TV's future? |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/01/18/you-was-ignored-on-lifetime-then-it-blew-up-on-netflix-what-does-it-mean-for-tvs-future/ |access-date=2024-05-21 |work=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>}}

Lifetime's original content is currently{{When|date=January 2025}} 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."<ref name=":2">[http://www.aenetworks.com/article/lifetime-locks-double-digit-year-over-year-growth-second-quarter-2013-marking-best-second Press Release from A+E Networks: Lifetime Locks in Double-Digit Year-Over-Year Growth for Second Quarter 2013...] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110150726/http://www.aenetworks.com/article/lifetime-locks-double-digit-year-over-year-growth-second-quarter-2013-marking-best-second |date=2013-11-10 }}, July 2, 2013. AENetworks.com, retrieved July 7, 2013.</ref>

In the past, Lifetime used to air several game shows in [[daytime television|daytime]] and early evenings, including ''[[Supermarket Sweep]]'', ''[[Shop 'til You Drop]]'', ''[[Rodeo Drive (game show)|Rodeo Drive]]'', ''[[Born Lucky (TV series)|Born Lucky]]'', and ''[[Debt (game show)|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 (TV series)|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.<ref name=":1" /> In late 2011, the network began to air new episodes of ''[[America's Most Wanted]]'', a program canceled in series form by [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] at the end of the 2010–11 season,<ref name=":3">Goldberg, Lesley. [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lifetime-cancels-americas-wanted-431660 Lifetime Cancels 'America's Most Wanted'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701080457/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lifetime-cancels-americas-wanted-431660 |date=July 1, 2020 }}, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', March 28, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.</ref> 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.<ref name=":3" />

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/disney-channel-s-descendants-2-premiere-five-tv-networks-165218#:~:text=Disney%20Channel%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Descendants%202%E2%80%99%20to%20Premiere%20on%20Five,ABC%2C%20Disney%20XD%2C%20Freeform%2C%20Lifetime%20and%20Disney%20Channel.|title = Disney Channel's 'Descendants 2' to Premiere on Five TV Networks|date = 25 April 2017}}</ref>

In 2018, Lifetime premiered ''[[Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance]]'', a story about the relationship between [[Prince Harry]] and [[Meghan Markle]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2018/01/prince-harry-meghan-markle-tv-movie-lifetime-1202243224/|title=Prince Harry & Meghan Markle TV Movie Set At Lifetime|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=January 15, 2018|work=Deadline|access-date=January 17, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=January 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116202017/https://deadline.com/2018/01/prince-harry-meghan-markle-tv-movie-lifetime-1202243224/|url-status=live}}</ref> It also premiered the [[James Corden]]-produced ''[[Seatbelt Psychic]]'' with [[Thomas John (medium)|Thomas John]]''.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Melas |first=Chloe |date=2018-07-06 |title=What do James Corden and a psychic have in common? |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/06/entertainment/seat-belt-psychic-lifetime-thomas-john/index.html |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-11 |title=What If Your Uber Driver Was Also Communing With Your Deceased Grandparents? |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/thomas-john-celebrity-medium-seatbelt-psychic |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Films===
{{main list|Category:Lifetime (TV channel) films}}
In addition to feature films, as well as [[television film|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 Movies|Lifetime Movie Network]] or "LMN" due to its frequent rebrands, was launched in 1998.

===Sports===
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 [[NBA on NBC|NBC]] and [[WNBA on ESPN|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]].<ref name="sbd-wnbamove">{{cite web|title=Lifetime shifts its WNBA games to ESPN2|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2000/12/20001218/No-Topic-Name/Lifetime-Shifts-Its-WNBA-Games-To-ESPN2.aspx?hl=Lifetime%20Television&sc=0|website=Sports Business Daily|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-date=February 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204165912/http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2000/12/20001218/No-Topic-Name/Lifetime-Shifts-Its-WNBA-Games-To-ESPN2.aspx?hl=Lifetime%20Television&sc=0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="trib-wnbalt">{{cite web|title=WNBA coverage on Lifetime|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/07/11/wnba-coverage-on-lifetime-womens-professional-basketball/|website=Chicago Tribune|date=11 July 1997 |access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-date=February 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204165840/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-07-11/features/9707110348_1_wnba-lifetime-game|url-status=live}}</ref> As part of an arrangement with [[Raycom Sports]], the network also broadcast the [[LPGA]]'s [[The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions|Tournament of Champions]] in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=LPGA SIGNS DEAL TO SHOW TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS ON LIFETIME|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/1998/01/21/Sports-Media/LPGA-SIGNS-DEAL-TO-SHOW-TOURNAMENT-OF-CHAMPIONS-ON-LIFETIME.aspx|website=Sports Business Daily|date=21 January 1998 |access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-date=February 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204170100/http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/1998/01/21/Sports-Media/LPGA-SIGNS-DEAL-TO-SHOW-TOURNAMENT-OF-CHAMPIONS-ON-LIFETIME.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

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.<ref name="deadline-nwslae">{{cite web|title=Lifetime To Air National Women's Soccer League Games As A+E Networks Kicks In For Equity Stake|url=https://deadline.com/2017/02/lifetime-national-womens-soccer-league-tv-deal-ae-networks-stake-1201900415/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=2 February 2017|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203163010/http://deadline.com/2017/02/lifetime-national-womens-soccer-league-tv-deal-ae-networks-stake-1201900415/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="variety-nwsllifetime">{{cite web|title=A+E Networks, National Women's Soccer League Ink Major Deal|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/womens-soccer-lifetime-1201975617/|website=Variety|date=2 February 2017|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203162044/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/womens-soccer-lifetime-1201975617/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===High Definition===
Lifetime launched an HD simulcast on April 16, 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lifetime Television Launches HD Channel|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/lifetime-television-launches-hd-channel-32138|last=Eggerton|first=John|date=April 16, 2008|website=Broadcasting & Cable|language=en-us|access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref>

==International versions==
===Canada===
{{Main|Lifetime (Canadian TV channel)}}
On May 30, 2012, Canadian television broadcaster [[Shaw Media]] announced that it would rebrand [[Showcase Diva]], a [[Category B services|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.<ref>[http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/shaw-media-and-a-e-to-launch-two-new-specialty-channels/1001418951 Shaw Media and A&E to Launch Two New Specialty Channels] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329223132/http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/shaw-media-and-a-e-to-launch-two-new-specialty-channels/1001418951/ |date=March 29, 2016 }}, ''Broadcaster Magazine'', May 30, 2012</ref>

===Southeast Asia===
{{Main|Lifetime (Southeast Asian TV channel)}}
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 (Malaysian satellite television)|Astro]] and [[StarHub TV]] being two of the first providers to carry Lifetime in Asia. In July, available in [[Hong Kong]] [[Now TV (Hong Kong TV channel)|now TV]] channel 520. And since September 1, 2014, Lifetime Asia airs in the Philippines on [[Dream Satellite TV]] channel 18 and [[SkyCable]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lifetime and H2 roll out across Southeast Asia|url=http://realscreen.com/2013/05/16/lifetime-and-h2-roll-out-across-asia/|work=realscreen|access-date=November 6, 2013|archive-date=March 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330192157/http://realscreen.com/2013/05/16/lifetime-and-h2-roll-out-across-asia/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===United Kingdom and Ireland===
{{Main|Lifetime (British and Irish TV channel)}}
A+E Networks UK launched a version of Lifetime for the UK and Ireland in November 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2013/09/29/november-uk-launch-for-aes-lifetime/|title=November UK launch for A+E's Lifetime|publisher=Broadband TV News|date=September 29, 2013|access-date=October 3, 2013|archive-date=November 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129144650/http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2013/09/29/november-uk-launch-for-aes-lifetime/|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2021/lifetime-finally-shuts-down |title=Lifetime finally shuts down |work=RXTV |date=18 February 2021 |access-date=February 18, 2021 |archive-date=February 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221234747/https://rxtvinfo.com/2021/lifetime-finally-shuts-down |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Latin America===
{{Infobox television channel
| name = Lifetime Latin America
| logo = 
| logo_alt = 
| logo_caption = 
| image = 
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2014|7|1}}
| closed_date = 
| picture_format = 
| network = 
| owner = [[A&E Networks]]<br />[[Sony Pictures Television]]
| country = 
| language = [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
| area = [[Latin America]]
| affiliates = 
| headquarters = 
| former_names = 
| replaced = [[Sony Spin]]
| replaced_by = 
| sister_channels = [[A&E (TV network)|A&E]]<br />[[History]]<br />[[H2 (TV channel)|H2]]<br />[[Sony Channel (Latin American TV channel)|Sony Channel]]<br />[[AXN]]
| timeshift_service = 
| website = [http://www.milifetime.tv Lifetime Latin America]<br />[https://meulifetime.com Lifetime Brazil]
| terr_serv_1 = 
| terr_chan_1 = 
| sat_radio_serv_1 = 
| sat_radio_chan_1 = 
| online_serv_1 = 
| online_chan_1 = 
}}
Lifetime announced the launch of a Latin American version of the network, which launched on July 1, 2014, in association with [[Sony Pictures Television|Sony Pictures Television Latin America]].<ref>[http://tv.otroscines.com/2014/04/llega-un-nuevo-canal-en-el-mes-de-julio/ Llega un nuevo canal en el mes de Julio] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429051310/http://tv.otroscines.com/2014/04/llega-un-nuevo-canal-en-el-mes-de-julio/|date=April 29, 2014}}, ''Otros Cines TV'', April 28, 2014.</ref> It supplanted the now-defunct [[Sony Spin]] channel (formerly known as [[Locomotion (TV channel)|Locomotion]] from 1996 to 2005 and [[Animax (Latin America)|Animax]] from 2005 to 2011) on the Amazonas satellite serving South America. Lifetime Latin America is currently distributed by [[Ole Distribution]], currently based in [[Bogotá]], Colombia, under license from [[A&E Networks#A+E Networks Latin America|A+E Networks Latin America]] and [[Sony Pictures Television|Sony Pictures Television Latin America]]. In [[Brazil]], its programming is fully dubbed in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]].

In Mexico, it was launched on October 1, 2014, replacing [[The Biography Channel]].

===Africa===
A+E Networks launched the African version of Lifetime on Channel 131 on DStv on July 22, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/lifetimesa?lang=en|title=Lifetime Africa|website=[[Twitter.com]]|access-date=January 17, 2021|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126203525/https://twitter.com/lifetimesa?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> On April 25, 2022, it was announced the channel alongside Lifetime Play would cease transmission in Africa by the end of May.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://prsdube16.blogspot.com/2022/04/as-expected-ae-networks-africa-closing.html | title=Insidus: As Expected, A+E Networks Africa Closing Lifetime Africa Channel | date=25 April 2022 }}</ref>

===Israel===
A+E Networks launched a version of Lifetime for Israel on September 14, 2014, replacing [[The Biography Channel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitaltveurope.net/241422/bio-to-rebrand-to-lifetime-in-israel/|title=Bio to rebrand to Lifetime in Israel|publisher=Digital TV Europe|date=September 11, 2014|access-date=January 23, 2015|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307215334/http://www.digitaltveurope.net/241422/bio-to-rebrand-to-lifetime-in-israel/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Turkey===
On March 16, 2016, [[A&E 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lifetime TV yakında Türkiye'de!|url=http://www.yeniyeniseyler.com/2016/03/16/lifetime-tv-yakinda-turkiyede-ozel-haber|website=Yeni Yeni Şeyler|date=16 March 2016 |access-date=March 16, 2016|ref=1|archive-date=March 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316071237/http://www.yeniyeniseyler.com/2016/03/16/lifetime-tv-yakinda-turkiyede-ozel-haber/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===South Korea===
A localized version of Lifetime was launched on September 22, 2017, by A+E Networks Asia-Pacific and local company [[IHQ (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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ji Chang-wook and Kim Yoo-jung Confirm Roles in "Backstreet Rookie" by the PD of "The Fiery Priest"|date=January 29, 2020|url=https://www.hancinema.net/ji-chang-wook-and-kim-yoo-jung-confirm-roles-in-backstreet-rookie-by-the-pd-of-the-fiery-priest-138207.html|website=[[Hancinema]]|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=June 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612104438/https://www.hancinema.net/ji-chang-wook-and-kim-yoo-jung-confirm-roles-in-backstreet-rookie-by-the-pd-of-the-fiery-priest-138207.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===MENA===
In 2019, [[A&E Networks]] was scheduled to launch a version of Lifetime for the [[MENA|Middle East & Northern Africa]] region.

===Australia===
A&E Networks launched a version of Lifetime Movie Network for Australia on September 1, 2020, as a [[joint venture]] with the [[Foxtel]] network.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Knox|first=David|date=August 3, 2020|title=Foxtel adds Lifetime Movie Network|work=TV Tonight|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/08/foxtel-adds-lifetime-movie-network.html|access-date=October 11, 2020|archive-date=October 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021190612/https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/08/foxtel-adds-lifetime-movie-network.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=August 4, 2020|title=Foxtel launches Lifetime Movie Network|work=[[Mumbrella]]|url=https://mumbrella.com.au/foxtel-launches-lifetime-movie-network-637188|access-date=October 11, 2020|archive-date=September 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924191307/https://mumbrella.com.au/foxtel-launches-lifetime-movie-network-637188|url-status=live}}</ref>

==LRW==
{{Infobox television channel
| name = LRW
| logo = LRW logo 2012.png
| logo_size = 150px
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2001|8|20}}
| picture_format = [[480i]] ([[Standard-definition television|SDTV]])
| parent = Lifetime Entertainment Services
}}

'''LRW''', or '''Lifetime Real Women''', is an American [[pay television]] [[Television channel|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 (TV channel)|Oxygen]] networks for the women's network market.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/2001-04-11-lifetime-real-women.htm|title=Lifetime adds 'Real Women' to its networks|last=Levin|first=Gary|date=April 11, 2001|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=January 8, 2014|archive-date=December 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212182530/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/2001-04-11-lifetime-real-women.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 [[Comedy|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 (TV channel)|LMN]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=LMN: Watch Classic and Original Lifetime Movies on LMN |url=https://www.mylifetime.com/lmn |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=Lifetime Movie Network |language=en}}</ref> though it did [[burning off|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, along with broadcast venues such as [[Start TV]], the defunct [[Twist (TV network)|Twist]] and [[TrueReal]] subchannel networks, and ad-supported streaming [[Free ad-supported streaming television|FAST channels]].

In recent years, LRW has lost carriage with the growth of streaming alternatives and has generally been depreciated by A+E Global Media in current retransmission consent negotiations with cable and streaming providers.

==Lifetime Movie Club==
On July 2, 2015, Lifetime launched a streaming service branded as Lifetime Movie Club.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lifetime Movie Club {{!}} Watch New & Classic Lifetime Movies |url=https://www.lifetimemovieclub.com/ |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=Lifetime Movie Club |language=en}}</ref> The service offers over 2,000 titles, both originally-produced and acquired by [[Lifetime Entertainment Services|Lifetime]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.mylifetime.com}}

{{Lifetime Shows}}
{{A+E Networks}}
{{EmmyAward GovernorsAward}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lifetime (Tv Network)}}
[[Category:Lifetime (TV channel)| ]]
[[Category:Television networks in the United States]]
[[Category:English-language television stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1984]]
[[Category:1996 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Women's interest channels]]
[[Category:1984 establishments in the United States]]