By Garrett Braddock

AMC Networks Logo

AMC Networks Inc.

11 Penn Plaza

New York City, New York, USA

(212) 324-8500

http://www.amcnetworks.com/

About AMC Networks [1}:

AMC Networks is an entertainment company based in New York that owns a multitude of popular channels including AMC, IFC, WE tv, and the Sundance Channel. Their flagship channel, AMC, boasts the impressive feats of having the most

The various properties owned by AMC Networks

watched drama series in cable history with, The Walking Dead, and also stands as the only cable network to win an Emmy for “Outstanding Drama Series” four years in a row. AMC Networks also owns the film company IFC films and the highly regarded IFC center, a movie theater in New York City.

Key People at AMC Networks [2]: (All images curtesy of AMC Networks)

Charles Dolan– Executive Chairman

Joshua Sapan–President and Chief Executive Officer

Edward A Carroll— Chief Operating Officer

Finances in Fall 2013:

AMC Networks enjoyed a financially beneficial third quarter here in Fall 2013. The Wall Street Journal reports that the networks earnings were up by 59% from last year, a rise that is sure to make investors very happy people. This growth can be

Past Year Stocks for AMC Networks. Courtesy of Seeking Alpha

contributed to a high demand from advertisers to be placed on their channels. The Journal states, “The growth was driven by a 36% rise in advertising revenue to $146 million, helped by a strong demand for original programming.”[3]

News Stories from Fall 2013:

-Harmonious Deals with Chellomedia

Logo courtesy of Chellomedia

One of the major moves that AMC Networks made this fall was the purchasing of Chellomedia, which is an international content division of Liberty Global, an acquisition that cost around $1.04 billion. Chellomedia focuses on operating digital and broadband channels across Europe and Latin America, a spread that will broadly widen the amount of viewers AMC could reach. It is estimated that Chellomedia reaches around 400 million viewers in 138 countries. This acquisition means that AMC will be able to access various netoworks in the aforementioned countries and have a much wider, international market for their already popular programs. Of the deal, Josh Sapan said, “This acquisition allows us to secure a large, global platform on which to distribute our increasingly successful original programming through a collection of strong, well-established and well managed assets worldwide.”[4] One criticism of this deal is that it makes AMC less likely to be bought out by a larger company, a move which some investors may have been expecting. Previously, it was thought that AMC may be the target of larger cable network companies New Corp or CBS Corp, but this acquisition seems to prove that AMC is still looking to expand before looking for potential buyers.[5] Overall, the acquisition of Chellomedia, likely to officially go through in early 2014, will broaden the reaches of AMC Networks, expand their global market, and allow them to become much less dependent on success in the US market.[6]

-Breaking Bad? More like Breaking Records!!

Promotion for beginning of fifth and final season of Breaking Bad. Courtesy of AMC

Throughout its airing, Breaking Bad has become one of the most highly regarded and well-liked shows on television. The show tells the story of a high-school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with cancer and decides to secure financial security for his family by cooking and selling meth. The show has garnered both viewer and critical acclaim, and won “Outstanding Drama Series” at this years Emmy awards, after being nominated for the past 3. AMC saw record numbers for Breaking Bad almost every episode of the last season, with those numbers peaking on its final episode, “FiNaLe” where the average viewership was 10.3 million according to Nielsen. When it comes to the important adults 18-49 demographic, Breaking Bad achieved a 5.4 rating, reaching about 6.7 million people.[7] This impressive finale ranks third in cable series finales, finishing behind only The Sopranos and Sex and the City.

An interesting article on Slate discussed how Nielsen began ranking television shows on the number of people tweeting about them, and how that reflects on Breaking Bad. It was estimated that 9.3 million people tweeted about, or viewed tweets about Breaking Bad during its penultimate episode. This is an important statistic because it displays how many people are actively engaged in the show, a fact many advertisers would love to know so they can more intelligently places their advertisements. [8]

-Ratings Spring Back To Life With The Walking Dead

Another one of AMC Network’s hugely successful series, The Walking Dead, comes again from their flagship channel, and has been racking up huge ratings with every episode. This show follows a group of survivors during the zombie apocalypse and chronicles their

Main promotion for The Walking Dead. Courtesy of AMC

harrowing tale. The show has seen growing success over its first 3 seasons, with ratings and viewer numbers reaching record-breaking heights during the premiere of the fourth season. TVbythenumbers reports that 16.1 million people tuned in for the premiere with 10.4 million being of the adult 18-49 demographic.[9] The Walking Dead has become the #1 show on television across both cable and broadcast networks. Even compared to Sunday Night Football, The Walking Dead is 23 percent bigger than the perennial broadcast telecast.[10] These ratings and numbers have either stayed the same or grown with each passing episode. On the heels of such success, AMC Networks announced on October 29^th that it has renewed The Walking Dead for a fifth season, in which they are likely to have continued success.[11]

-The Sundance Channel Brings a New Kind of Zombie to Life[12]

This fall The Sundance Channel premiered The Returned, a French hit, and one of the

Photo showing premise of The Returned: the reconnecting of those once thought to be dead

channel’s first forays into scripted TV series. The series tells the stories of people who come back to life exactly as they were before they died. The show, based on the French film, They Came Back, was a critical hit in France before being picked up by The Sundance Channel. The show is quietly doing very well for the channel, considering the small audience and fact that the show is subtitled to English. As mentioned earlier, The Returned has received critical acclaim, being lauded for its beautiful cinematography and emotionally believable characters.[13] Despite only having eight total episodes, the show has an impressive 92/100 score on metacritic.[14]

-Low Winter Sun: Maybe Sinking a Bit too Low?

Another AMC show to be grabbing headlines this fall was crime-drama Low Winter Sun. This show tells the story of a cop in Detroit who believes his girlfriend was murdered by another detective. Despite airing after the widely watched Breaking Bad, this show has

Promotion for Low Winter Sun. Courtesy of AMC.

never gotten the viewer attention AMC Networks was hoping for. Low Winter Sun has received mixed reviews, with many leaning towards the negative side, citing the show’s pace and darkness as its main adverse aspects.[15] The show has even drawn criticism from one of its stars, James Ransone. Ransone said of the show, “It wasn’t a good show…” and “If it doesn’t get canceled, I’ll be goddamn shocked…the ratings were terrible.”[16] AMC Networks has yet to decide if the show will be renewed for a second season, but the decision is likely to come by early December.

Sources:

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AMC Networks

About AMC Networks [1}: