At what point does it become a trend? After Netflix announced its ad-supported tier last year, and the upcoming mega-streaming service Max (still to debut) was announced to include ad-supported pricing tiers, it seems inevitable that more streaming services will follow in including ad-supported tiers in their pricing structure. And it looks like AMC+ has become the latest streaming service to adopt the tiered pricing model, according to a Deadline report. AMC Networks has announced that it will add a cheaper, ad-supported tier to its flagship streaming service AMC+. The new pricing tier is expected to be rolled out later this year, though no exact date was released.
This news comes after a pretty rough time period for AMC Networks. The company has just recently gone through some pretty intense staff cuts, some pretty extreme shifts in senior leadership, and even some unexpected changes to the network's content. Several weeks ago, Kristin Dolan was named CEO of the company. The change in leadership made clear that big changes are coming for the company. But the extent of these shifts is still unknown. Dolan is expected to make her first public comments at a presentation for media buyers on Tuesday night. AMC+ is the most impactful streaming service included in AMC Networks, which also includes such niche streaming networks as Acorn TV and Sundance Now among others. AMC+ subscribers can bundle these services with AMC+, and it is expected that these bundles will be an aspect of ad-supported tiers.
Of the addition of ad-supported tiers to the streamer, the company's chief commercial officer Kim Kelleher said, "[t]his is a big moment for AMCNetworks and for our advertising partners, because it not only creates a fully-ad supported distribution ecosystem, it also allows advertisers to buy out shows, genres, and franchises in a much more comprehensive and impactful way." Kelleher continued, saying that "[w]ith 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."
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This certainly seems like a good deal for the company's advertising partners. Whether viewers will feel equally compelled to invest in the new ad-supported tiers is yet unknown. But it certainly seems to be a growing trend among streamers, as even media giants such as Disney+ have released ad-supported tiers in recent months. It seems that the once-booming world of streaming is now coming to an impasse, with growing expenses, content complications, and mergers combining and dividing services in record time. Ad-supported pricing tiers are becoming an essential aspect of the service, and the addition of an ad-supported tier for AMC+ is no surprise.
However, AMC+, unlike other services such as the soon-to-be mega-streamer Max, continues to focus itself on a specific vein of content, scripted series. Whether this focus will remain is yet to be seen.