Disney, Hearst, NBCU Discuss AETN Restructure

NEW YORK: Disney-ABC Television, NBC Universal and Hearst Corporation are in discussions about the creation of a joint venture that would put Lifetime Network under the A&E Television Networks (AETN) umbrella, according to reports.

The restructuring would give NBC Universal a stake in Lifetime, which is co-owned (50-50) by Hearst and Walt Disney Co.’s Lifetime Entertainment Services. The women’s cable network would fit in with NBCU’s women-targeting Women@NBCU and its female-skewing channels Bravo, USA and Oxygen.

A&E Television Networks owns brands such as A&E Network, HISTORY, Bio, Military History, Crime & Investigation and History en Espanol, while Lifetime also operates Lifetime Movie Network. Hearst and Disney-ABC both own 37.5 percent of A&E Networks, and NBCU holds a 25 percent stake.