At what point does it become a trend? After Netflix announced its ad-supported tier last year and the upcoming Max mega-streaming service (not yet debuted) announced with ad-supported price tiers, it seems inevitable that more streaming services will follow by incorporating ad-supported tiers into their price structure. And according to a Deadline report, it looks like AMC+ has become the latest streaming service to adopt a tiered pricing model. AMC Networks has announced that it will be adding a cheaper, ad-supported tier to its flagship streaming service, AMC+. The new price tier is expected to be launched later this year, though no exact date has been given.
This news comes after a rather difficult period for AMC Networks. More recently, the company has gone through some pretty intense staff cuts, some pretty drastic senior management changes, and even some unexpected changes to the network’s content. A few weeks ago, Christine Dolan was appointed CEO of the company. The change in leadership made it clear that the company is in for big changes. But the extent of these shifts is still unknown. Dolan is expected to make his first public comments at a presentation to media buyers on Tuesday evening. AMC+ is the most influential streaming service under AMC Networks, which also includes niche streaming networks such as Acorn TV and Sundance Now, among others. AMC+ subscribers can bundle these services with AMC+ and these bundles are expected to be part of the ad-supported tiers.
About adding ad levels to the streamer Chief Commercial Officer of the company Kim Kelleher said, “[t]This is an important milestone for AMCNetworks and our advertising partners because it not only creates a fully ad-supported distribution ecosystem, but also allows advertisers to buy shows, genres and franchises in a much more comprehensive and efficient way.” Kelleher continued by saying that “[w]With our new series content, library titles, and other targeted streaming platforms that are bundled into AMC+, partners can go beyond individual shows and even series to “own” entire genres and franchises, and deliver messages to their target audience, no matter what. What. They’re 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 new ad-supported levels remains to be seen. But it’s definitely becoming a growing trend among streamers, with even media giants like Disney+ releasing ad-supported levels in recent months. It looks like the once-thriving world of streaming is now coming to a standstill due to rising costs, content complications and mergers bringing services together and apart in record time. Ad-supported pricing tiers are becoming an important aspect of the service, and the addition of an ad-supported tier to AMC+ comes as no surprise.
However, AMC+, unlike other services such as the soon-to-be mega-streamer Max, continues to focus on a specific kind of content, scripted series. Whether this focus will continue remains to be seen.
Source: Collider
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