Recently, FX took a step towards entering the streaming wars with a $6 ad-free service being offered to Comcast customers. Now, AMC is joining it, with a new ad-free service similar to FXs, confirming the streaming wars are heating up.
Disney, Apple, and a host of others have been trying to nip at Netflixs heels, with mixed success. AMC isnt quite going there yet: $5 will get you an ad-free channel, only on Comcast for now. That fiver a month lets you watch AMCs shows, both current and past, streaming in addition to the ad-supported channel on your dial. AMC, for its part, has made it clear you wont have to subscribe to another service to catch The Walking Dead or Better Call Saul quite yet:
Our partners understand that AMC has to serve its passionate and ever-changing audiences in new ways on new platforms, [AMC Networks president of ad sales Scott Collins] said. Weve made it very clear to everyone that AMC Premiere is an upgrade option we think will appeal to some fans, but a core focus for us very much remains the AMC ad-supported linear and digital environments.
And even if AMC is thinking of making the jump, it has lucrative deals with Netflix and Hulu to consider, not to mention the challenge of designing and rolling out a vast, Netflix-sized streaming architecture. So this is, for now, just an option for fans who dont like ads, and have an extra $5 to spare. Still, the low price, and on-demand nature, will serve as a test bed of sorts, both for AMC and other channels.