Citing programming considerations, Life Network has pulled the plug on U8TV’s nightly, half-hour Lofters program.

‘We’ve had a good run with this program, but it’s a programming decision,’ says Alliance Atlantis spokesperson Kym Robertson.

The show will stay on air until June 15.

Since AAC has a stake in both Life and U8TV, the move raises questions about the Toronto-based media company’s commitment to the online, reality venture, particularly after it has announced more than 100 layoffs since the new year and a restructuring on the production side of the business.

Neither AAC nor U8TV representatives would comment on whether the cancellation has wider repercussions on the entire U8TV project. U8TV, launched last year, is a 24/7 online network that features eight young people who live and work together in a downtown Toronto loft and are in the camera’s eye around the clock.

U8TV cofounder and executive producer Zev Shalev says he remains ‘pretty hopeful’ that the project will continue.

‘We are reviewing all the options and that includes pursuing different partners and other interests. It obviously is a big blow and it is something that we will have to deal with,’ he says.

The lofters also produce three hours of daily programs that run online at u8tv.com. Some of these have been licensed to broadcast outlets including PrideVision, which airs UnderCovers and SoGayTV; One: The Body, Mind & Spirit, which airs U8Soul and Life, which continues to air Love Shack. Such licence fees are an important component of the U8TV’s revenue streams.