Lifetime (TV network)
| The Lifetime logo (1995-present) | |
| Type | Cable network (women’s interest programming) |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | National |
| Owner | Lifetime Entertainment Services |
Key people | Betty Cohen - President and CEO |
Launch date | February 1, 1984 |
Former names | Daytime network (Hearst)/Cable Health Network (Viacom) |
Official website | http://www.lifetimetv.com |
Lifetime Television is an American television network which as its tagline notes, is Television for Women. It airs movies that feature women in lead roles, as well as sitcoms and dramas that are geared towards women. The channel was founded in 1984.
History
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 programming during the day on Monday–Saturdays, and offered the Lifetime Medical Television service on Sundays from November 1983 to June 1993 carrying programming for health professionals.
Among the most popular shows currently on the channel are Frasier, The Nanny, The Golden Girls, Designing Women, and Unsolved Mysteries. The network also airs original programming such as Strong Medicine, Intimate Portrait, The Division, and "I Do" Diaries.
In addition, Lifetime airs many original movies targeting to women as well, films also seen on Lifetime Movie Network (launced 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.
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, The service airs Monday to Friday from 5 to 9 a.m. or 6 to 10 a.m., depending on the market.
Lifetime is a property of Lifetime Entertainment Services, which owns a number of media ventures. Viacom remained as co-owner with ABC/Capital Cities and Hearst until 1994.
Lifetime's main competitors as "women's channels" are the Oxygen Network and WE: Women's Entertainment, although both of those services have substantially lower ratings than Lifetime Movie Network, much less Lifetime.
Because of the obvious feminine slant to the network's programming, Lifetime, along with Oxygen Network, are often jokingly referred to as The Estrogen Channel. Other comedy programs have satirized Lifetime's sometimes sentimental programing. Family Guy once parodied their slogan, making it Lifetime: Television for Idiots.
Carriers
On January 1, 2006, Dish Network dropped Lifetime, becoming the only major U.S. multichannel television distributor not carrying the channel. This as a result of contract expiration. Dish Network chose to continue with the discontinuation of the transmission. Should they have decided to renew the contract, Dish Network claimed that this would have forced then to increase rates by as much as 76.47%, although Dish sometimes quoted other figures in their press releases. Lifetime responded by claiming that the rates were only four cents per viewer per month and that even at the end of the contract the total increases were nowhere near 76%. Neither side issued complete figures to verify their claims. Dish would eventually add competitor Oxygen to its channel line-up later in the month.
On February 1, 2006, Lifetime's 22nd birthday, Dish announced they were readding Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network to their service.[1]
Programs broadcast by Lifetime
Original programming
- Any Day Now
- Denise Austin
- Beach Girls
- The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd †
- The Division
- Head 2 Toe
- How Clean Is Your House?
- "I Do" Diaries
- I Married a Princess
- Intimate Portrait
- Lovespring International
- Merge
- Missing
- Oh Baby
- Speaking of Women's Health
- Strong Medicine
- Weddings
- What Should You Do?
- Who Knows You Best
- Wild Card
Syndicated programming
- Designing Women
- Desperate Housewives (coming August 2006)
- Reba (also coming August 2006)
- Golden Girls
- The Nanny
- Providence
- Unsolved Mysteries
- Will & Grace
- Frasier
- Still Standing (coming Fall 2006)
- Medium
† - Seasons 3-5 of The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd were produced exclusively for Lifetime after airing for two seasons on NBC.