Lifetime will close down in the UK, Ireland and Malta on February 28, we can confirm.
The channel - a joint venture between A&E and Sky in the UK - launched more than seven years ago as a replacement for The Biography Channel, offering programming such as Little Women and The Real Housewives franchise.
According to the latest data from BARB, Lifetime has an average audience share of just 0.03%, lagging significantly behind sister channels Blaze (0.29%), Sky History (0.22%) and Crime+Investigation (0.16%).
A spokesperson told Media Mole: "AETN UK will close its TV channel Lifetime across the UK, Ireland, and Malta, on both linear and non-linear platforms on 1st March 2021.
"Lifetime UK has entertained audiences with shows such as Britain's Next Top Model, Born This Way, and Little Women.
"Across EMEA, Lifetime remains available in Africa and Poland. AETN UK's Sky HISTORY, Sky HISTORY2, Crime + Investigation, and BLAZE brands and content will continue to be available across the UK and Ireland."
The closure of Lifetime is just the latest in a spate of channel shutdowns in recent months as broadcasters embark on a long-term shift away from linear television.
Channel 5 owner ViacomCBS has been one of the most active in closing down channels, axing three MTV music channels, VH1 and most of its +1 stations in 2020. Disney has dropped all of its Disney-branded UK channels following the launch of Disney+, while Discovery has cut channels including Home & Health, Discovery Shed and Travel Channel.
Neil Wilkes
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