AMC+ Streaming Service Launching Cheaper Ad-Supported Version

By Cameron Bonomolo

AMC Networks announced Monday it's set to launch a cheaper, ad-supported tier of its flagship AMC+ streaming service by October. The streamer — which offers subscribers early access to new episodes from series set within The Walking Dead Universe and bundles content from AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, Sundance Now, Shudder, and IFC Films Unlimited — has been ad-free since it launched in 2020. While the cost of ad-supported AMC+ hasn't been announced, the company said the offering of a less expensive version of the service (currently priced at $8.99 per month) gives customers "additional flexibility" while allowing advertisers to reach viewers across linear TV networks, streaming, and digital/CTV platforms.

According to AMC, targeted streaming services Shudder, IFC Films Unlimited, and Sundance Now that are accessed through the AMC+ bundle (as opposed to being purchased individually) will also be included in the ad-supported tier. More details will be revealed when AMCN touts the new ad-supported tier at its 2023/24 upfront during the network's presentation in New York on Tuesday.

"This is a big moment for AMC Networks and for our advertising partners, because it not only creates a fully-ad supported distribution ecosystem, it also allows advertisers to buy our shows, genres and franchises in a much more comprehensive and impactful way," Kim Kelleher, chief commercial officer of AMC Networks, said in a statement. "With our new series content, library titles and other targeted streaming platforms that are all bundled into AMC+, partners can move beyond individual shows and even series and choose to 'own' whole genres and franchises, and drive messaging to target audiences no matter what they are watching or where. We've never been able to offer this level of sweeping yet highly focused reach before in such an effective and comprehensive way."

AMC+ joins HBO Max (soon to be rebranded as Max), Netflix, and Disney+ as once ad-free streamers to offer subscribers a cheaper, ad-supported option. 

"Ultimately, we're doing it now for the right reason," Kelleher told The Hollywood Reporter of ad-supported AMC+, an option she suggested before 2023. "This is not going to be an enormous amount of inventory, we are targeted. We're doing it because viewers now have spoken. They want choice. They want a less expensive option, they want to be able to choose between a less expensive ad-supported light-load option and a more expensive [ad-free tier]."

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AMC+'s library of currently commercial-free content features series from the AMC Networks portfolio, including Mad Men, Halt & Catch Fire, Hell on Wheels, Turn: Washington's Spies, Rectify, and series from The Walking Dead Universe. The service also offers a growing slate of original and exclusive series, among them Gangs of London, This is Going to Hurt, Dark Winds, and the first two series in its Anne Rice universe, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches.

In the U.S., AMC+ is available as an app and a subscription on the following platforms: Apple TV Channels, Amazon Prime Video Channels, Comcast Xfinity, DirecTV, Dish, The Roku Channel, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. In Canada, AMC+ is available on Apple TV Channels and Amazon Prime Video Channels.

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