AMC Networks Sets Rollout Of Cheaper Tier Of AMC+ With Ads And Launches Audience+, A Data Platform Developed With CEO Kristin Dolan’s 605

AMC Networks said it plans to add a cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier of flagship streaming service AMC+ later this year.

While the pricing and launch date of the service are being kept under wraps, the company is including it as part of its 2023-24 upfront sales process. AMC Networks, which has just emerged from a turbulent period of staff cuts and a change in senior leadership, will host its annual presentation for media buyers on Tuesday night. Kristin Dolan, a longtime board member and member of the family who controls the company’s shares, was named CEO several weeks ago. She will make her first public comments at the upfront event.

While the company doesn’t break out official numbers for individual streamers, AMC+ is the biggest member of its portfolio of niche services, which includes Acorn TV and ALLBLK. Shudder, IFC Films Unlimited and Sundance Now are part of a bundled offering with AMC+. Subscribers to the bundle (as opposed to those subscribing individually) will also be included in the ad-supported tier

“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,” said Kim Kelleher, the company’s chief commercial officer. “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.”

Like all programmers, AMC Networks is facing stiff challenges from the accelerating pace of cord-cutting and the expense and complexity of migrating viewers to streaming, whose economic model is still coming into focus. Unlike larger peers, though, the company has refined its focus on scripted fare for adults, a lane it feels gives them a way to stand out. While many media companies are ramping up efforts to be all things to all viewers, AMC Networks is holding fast to its

In an interview with Deadline, Kelleher, Evan Adlman, EVP of commercial sales and revenue operations, and Kim Granito, the newly minted head of marketing, said the company is looking to continue offering advertisers multiple options. While live linear TV viewing is in general decline, AMC Networks has managed to make 60% to 65% of its linear distribution footprint fully addressable. It has the ability to deliver three addressable spots in every hour of programming across all of its linear networks, meaning ads can be bought with highly refined targeting techniques similar to digital and streaming. That percentage of addressability is well above the industry norm.

With ad targeting a key mission, AMC Networks is also rolling out a data platform called Audience+, which is billed as a way to help advertisers identify opportunities across the portfolio. The offering was developed in partnership with analytics firm 605, which Dolan founded in 2016 and ran as CEO before moving into the corner office at AMC Networks. a powerful new insights and data targeting platform that allows the company’s advertising partners to identify and reach viewers across all of its ad-supported distribution platforms.

Adlman calls Audience+ “a huge leap forward for our company and our valued advertising partners.” The venture is the first to provide a single, unduplicated view of who is watching, what they are watching and when. That helps buyers “map a path to viewers across all of our shows and platforms.”