AMC Global Media is expanding the availability of its marathon channel dedicated to the Walking Dead franchise by bringing the free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel to the United Kingdom for the first time.
The channel will launch later this month, the company announced during the London edition of the SXSW conference on Thursday. It will be the sixth channel offered by AMC Global Media in the country, joining other FAST streams like AMC Reality, AMC Cupid and marathon channels for “Bloodline Detectives,” “Evidence of Evil” and “Love After Lockup.”
“The Walking Dead Universe has one of the most passionate fanbases in television, and FAST lets us open that world up to everyone,” Tom Keaveney, the Managing Director and Executive Vice President of AMC Global Media’s U.K.-based business, said on Thursday.
AMC Global Media did not say which platforms will offer the new FAST channel. Many of its streams are available on regional variants of services like Paramount-owned Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels and Rakuten TV.
Streaming products are becoming a bigger part of AMC Global Media’s overall business, with executives affirming the media giant’s evolution into a streaming-first company over the past year.
During its most-recent financial quarter, AMC Global Media earned $174 million from its streaming products, up 11 percent. Subscription-related revenue attributed to its premium streaming apps like AMC Plus clocked in at $305.3 million, down nearly 3 percent, while affiliate revenue earned from distribution of its core cable channels dropped 16 percent to $131 million.
