AMC Networks has debuted an ad-supported version of its premium streaming service AMC Plus, which offers hit series and films from the AMC multiplex of cable networks.
The service is priced at $5 a month, about $4 less than the commercial-free version of the streamer that has been available for the past three years.
AMC first announced plans to offer an ad-supported tier of the streaming service in April as the media company seeks to generate more revenue from its catalog of hit series like “The Walking Dead,” “Dark Winds,” “Killing Eve” and “Breaking Bad.”
“This ad-supported version of AMC+ gives consumers more flexibility while bringing ads to the only piece of our distribution ecosystem that wasn’t already ad-supported,” Kim Kelleher, the chief content officer at AMC Networks, said in an announcement last week.
AMC says it will keep the ad interruptions relatively low — around five minutes of commercials per hour, well under the 15 to 20 minutes that can air during an hour of AMC programming on cable and satellite.
In addition to on-demand streaming, AMC Plus offers access to the AMC multiplex of linear cable channels — including the flagship AMC Network, BBC America, IFC, We TV and Sundance. That sets it apart from similar streaming services offered by Warner Bros Discovery and the Walt Disney Company, which silo their cable networks from their streaming services.
Earlier this year, AMC executives said their overall strategy with streaming was to get their hit content in front of as many people as possible. In addition to their cable networks and premium streaming offering, AMC also operates free, ad-supported streaming channels that are licensed to free platforms like Fox Corporation’s Tubi, Plex and Paramount Global’s Pluto TV, with “marathon” style feeds that revolve around The Walking Dead and other shows.
