• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, July 2, 2015

We definitely expected that more over-the-top TV services were coming. But one just for Lifetime movies?

Seems OTT services take all shapes and sizes, from those narrowly targeted (like one for Nickelodeon), or those that have wide-ranging channels and programmers (such as Dish Network’s Sling TV).

The price point for the Lifetime Movie Club turns out to be pretty reasonable: just $3.99 a month. This works well against other OTT services: HBO Now at $14.99; Showtime’s OTT service price of $10.99 a month; or CBS All Access’ $5.99 a month.

Still, Lifetime Movie Network has been a separate cable channel since the late ‘90s. Some call these movies one long-running soap opera.  Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig starred in “A Deadly Adoption,” a parody of a Lifetime movie, which just aired.

Still, is there an OTT need for these -- ahem – sappy, but still moderately viewed, made-for-cable movies?

The answer is -- as with traditional cable networks -- there is a market for everything. Earlier this year, WWE started its own OTT effort at $9.99 per month; it has pulled in good business.

Lifetime has around 300 films in its library, with only about 10 to 20 available on Netflix. Lifetime executives have been worried those movies on Netflix aren’t being viewed by subscribers, with other higher-profile movies and TV shows available. 

Still, Lifetime is competing against about a dozen TV OTT stand-alone services. Unlike traditional pay TV packages, consumers get to pick and chose. But there is overlap and so TV pricing calculations will be necessary.

Maybe a particular TV consumer believes four services will fit the bill -- and price: For example, maybe dhr will decide on HBO Now ($15), Sling TV ($20), CBS All Access ($6), and Lifetime ($4)?

A mere $45 a month -- including all the weeping one could possibly want.