AMC Networks’ Max to Feature Over 200 Episodes of Recent AMC Networks Content for Two Months
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Streaming Services Lean Towards Pay TV
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Streaming services are increasingly relying on pay TV for content.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming service will feature over 200 episodes of recent AMC Networks content for a two-month period, starting from Friday through Halloween.
This move comes as media companies seek ways to strengthen their streaming platforms and make them profitable. It also provides a larger audience for AMC Networks’ pay TV shows, despite the company having its own streaming service, AMC+.
As the recent writers’ and actors’ strikes halt the production of TV shows and films in Hollywood, Max will add more programming this fall.
“Subscribers turn to Max to find a diverse selection of stories for the whole household,” said Meredith Gertler, Executive Vice President of Global Content Strategy, Planning, and Analysis in a news release. “The AMC+ collection pop up is an excellent example of how we can use innovative strategies to enhance our content offering.”
The AMC shows available on Max will be accessible to both ad-supported and commercial-free subscribers at no extra cost. The app will feature an “AMC+ Picks on Max” tab.
However, popular AMC shows like “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” and “The Walking Dead” will not be available on Max this fall.
AMC Networks Shows Coming to Max
- Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, season one
- Dark Winds, season one
- Gangs of London, seasons one and two
- Fear the Walking Dead, seasons one through seven
- Killing Eve, seasons one through four
- A Discovery of Witches, seasons one through three
- Ride with Norman Reedus, seasons one through five
Instead, Max viewers will have access to episodes of newer AMC content, including “Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire,” “Dark Winds,” the spinoff series “Fear the Walking Dead,” and the first four seasons of “Killing Eve.”
This partnership also allows consumers to watch AMC programming prominently featured on its own service, AMC+. Licensing deals with Netflix already offer fan favorite shows like “Breaking Bad” and its spinoff, “Better Call Saul.”
AMC and WBD Confront Cord Cutting
Similar to other pay TV companies, AMC is facing challenges in the evolving media landscape as consumers move away from traditional bundled services in favor of streaming. Last year, AMC laid off a significant number of employees and appointed Kristin Dolan, spouse of chairman James Dolan, as its new CEO.
In a memo to staff during the layoffs, James Dolan described it as a “confusing and uncertain time for the TV industry,” as reported by Visegrad Info 24.
“It was our belief that the losses from cord cutting would be offset by gains in streaming,” he wrote. “This has not been the case. We are primarily a content company and the mechanisms for content monetization are in disarray.”
For Warner Bros. Discovery, this emphasizes the continued effort to expand its streaming platform. The company recently announced the addition of CNN news as a 24/7 live news hub to Max in late September. It is also planning to include sports content in the streamer by the start of the Major League Baseball playoffs this fall.
Earlier, the company relaunched HBO Max as Max, combining content from Warner Bros. and Discovery+ under one roof.