Lifetime (TV network)

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

As of July 2015, approximately 95,020,000 American households (81.6% of households with television) receive Lifetime.

Predecessors

Daytime

Daytime, originally called BETA, was launched in March 1982 by Hearst-ABC Video Services. The cable service operated four hours per day on weekdays. The service was focused on alternative women's programming.

Cable Health Network

Cable Health Network was launched as a full-time channel in June 1982 with a range of health-related programming. In November 1983, Cable Health Network adopted a new name, Lifetime Medical Television.

History

Hearst/ABC-Viacom Entertainment Services

Lifetime was established on February 1, 1984 as the result of a merger of Daytime channel and Viacom's Lifetime Medical Television. 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. It was not an initial success, reportedly losing $36 million in its first two years of operation, and did not become profitable until 1986. The channel suffered from low viewership, with a poll reportedly finding that some TV viewers erroneously believed it carried religious content.