Lifetime was terminated in the UK last year as A+E Networks partnered up with Warner Bros. Discovery to distribute the channel's entire catalogue on Discovery+ and a year prior to the United States.
The channel is set to go off air by the end of May in Africa and the rest of Europe meaning viewers will lose out on shows like On The Case With Paula Zahn, Storage Wars, Marriage At First Sight, Dance Moms and Surviving R. Kelly.
Also joining that list of terminations is the brands streaming service, Lifetime Play leaving HISTORY and Crime + Investigation as the only linear channels operated by A+E Networks.
The parent company doesn't state the actual reason for the termination but if I had to guess it probably has something to do with the distribution agreement A+E Networks made with Warner Bros. Discovery for Lifetime in the UK.
Not a lot of people know this but the A+E Networks channels in the Africa, Poland and the rest of MENA are all handled by the UK which has been streamlining their entertainment with the rise of other streamers like Disney+ and HBO Max.
So the idea of this deal possibly including the rest of Europe doesn't seem far fetched. Compared to History and C+I, Lifetime has been struggling to gain traction and some would deem it a worthy competitor to TLC's wedding bonanza.
The channel alongside History and Crime + Investigation are handled by major brands The Walt Disney Company (excluding Europe), Sky (UK) and Hearst Corporation (globally) but from what I've seen with several linear channels that have this many owners its hard finding success so Lifetime's fate was predictable.
Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if The Walt Disney Company sold their shares its not like the content is on Disney+ if it was they'd be no need to run to a competitor to gain some relevancy.
Warner Bros. Discovery would make an ideal buyer Lifetime would merge with TLC for their remarkable similarities, Crime + Investigation with ID as there's not much original content going there leaving History as the only survivor from A+E Networks.
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