Lifetime Goes Free-to-Air with Turkish Launch

NEW YORK/ISTANBUL: A+E Networks will bring Lifetime to Turkey on April 26, marking its first free-to-air channel in the market.

Lifetime Turkey will be launched through a joint venture between A+E Networks and MCD Medya. Fox Media has been appointed as its ad sales representative in the territory. The channel will feature programming from its catalogue, including successful global franchises from series and specials to movies. In addition, Lifetime Turkey will unveil local formats of some of its most popular series, to be announced at launch.

“We are thrilled to further strengthen Lifetime’s global footprint through the launch of our first free-to-air channel in Turkey, and proud to partner with MCD Medya to debut a premium channel for women,” said Dean Possenniskie, the managing director for EMEA at A+E Networks. “Additionally, Lifetime Turkey represents a key element of our growth strategy to extend A+E Networks’s portfolio across EMEA. The channel will collectively give us the ability to reach over 19 million households and deliver to advertisers a high-value, upscale audience with real scale.”

“I am honored to partner with A+E Networks to bring Lifetime to Turkey,” said Esra Oflaz Guvenkaya, the president of MCD Medya. “The channel’s program schedule draws from a rich library of content and formats that are well-localized to match Turkish viewing habits. The live morning show aims to be informative, inspiring and interactive for female and male viewers alike. Lifetime will be a pioneer in the Turkish market, filling a gap across the Free TV landscape from the viewers’ perspective and in the industry from the advertisers’ perspective.”