Lifetime Television Outranks All Cable and Broadcast Networks as Top Women's Television Brand in Major National Survey

Leading Women's Destination Named 'Favorite' and 'Most Trusted' Channel Among Women for Ninth Consecutive Year; Lifetime Voted Most 'Empowering' Women's Network for Seventh Straight Year

LOS ANGELES, May 11 -- Lifetime Television, the highest-rated women's network, has once again ranked as the leading television brand in an annual national survey measuring women's perceptions of cable and broadcast networks. The Network beat all other networks in three key categories of the study, including "Favorite," "Most Trusted" and "Most Empowering" network for women. Lifetime also ranked number one in the survey's category assessing the three cable or broadcast networks women "most want to spend time with."

The study was conducted by leading market research firm International Communications Research (ICR). Among its key findings are the following:

Lifetime has maintained its leadership as the "favorite" women's network among W18-49 and W18+ for nine consecutive years. 33% of W18-49 polled ranked the Network as their favorite channel, more than three times greater than second place finishers CBS and TLC (both 9%), and five times the level of all women-targeted networks, including Oxygen (6%), Food Network (3%) and WE (3%). 26% of W18+ voted Lifetime as their "favorite television network for women," three times higher than CBS (8%), which ranked second in the category.

In networks "most trusted" by women, Lifetime remained well ahead of other channels for the ninth straight year in the two key demographics measured in the survey. 29% of W18-49 trusted Lifetime more than the second and third ranking networks, ABC (6%) and NBC (6%). In W18+, 19% of the respondents claimed to have more trust in Lifetime than any other network, including ABC (8%).

In naming their "top three networks that make them feel empowered as women when they watch them," participants cited Lifetime as the number one outlet for the seventh consecutive year. Among W18-49, 29% are most empowered by Lifetime, outranking ABC and Fox (both 20%), NBC (14%) and Oxygen (13%). Among W18+, 21% selected Lifetime as the most "empowering network," beating the four major broadcast networks: ABC (20%), Fox (17%), NBC (14%) and CBS (11%), as well as Oxygen (9%) and HGTV (4%).

The survey also asked women what three cable or broadcast networks they would "most want to spend time with" (assuming the networks were people). Lifetime claimed the top spot among W18-49 in the measurement with 22%, outranking ABC (16%), NBC (15%), CBS (14%), Fox (13%), Oxygen (11%), Discovery (8%) and Food Network (8%). Lifetime earned 17% among W18+, tied with ABC and Fox.

Information measured in the study was collected by ICR through a telephone survey from January 29 to February 2, 2009, and included a nationally representative sample of more than 500 women (at least 18 years of age) in the U.S.

The survey's findings reaffirm Lifetime's leading position in celebrating, entertaining and supporting women with content that spans its linear channels and digital platforms. In providing viewers with an engaging, entertaining escape, the Network was recently named the number one cable channel mentioned by women as a channel they "must keep" in a market study conducted by Solutions Research Group. Lifetime is the number one women's network on all of basic cable in both Total Day and Primetime among W18-49, W25-54 and W18+. Its sister network, Lifetime Movie Network, is the number two-rated female network in both Total Day and Primetime among Total Viewers, Households, W18-49 and W25-54.

ABOUT LIFETIME TELEVISION

Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (which includes myLifetime.com, Mothersclick.com, Lifetime Games, Roiworld.com and DressupChallenge.com) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.