VOD Strategy Connects Original Series with Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Insight, Charter, Mediacom, Cablevision
June 25, 2007 – New York, New York – As AMC looks to premiere its first original drama series Mad Men, the network announced today it will offer all of its episodes On Demand in both SD and HD format the day after it premieres on linear, and will feature exclusive content on Broadband including exclusive outtakes, interviews with the cast and crew and behind-the-scenes snippets. The content will be made available throughout the entire 13 episodes of season one. The initiative is part of a larger multi-dimensional cross platform programming and marketing campaign. MSO's committed include: Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Insight, Charter, Mediacom and Cablevision.
Across each MSO the initiative will aim to obtain consumer sampling of the series and is part of a larger overall outreach plan established by the Rainbow Media Affiliate Sales team that develops specific leveraging strategies to further enhance MSOs emerging platforms. Marketing tools including customized cross channel spots and pre and post roll video assets driving the multiplatform messaging are all included. Further, AMC will include messaging on air that drives people to their cable provider's On Demand platform after each Mad Men premiere.
As part of a broader plan, the venture builds on the VOD and Broadband success that AMC experienced with its first original mini-series movie event Broken Trail and with its 10th Anniversary Monsterfest campaign. Last June AMC premiered Broken Trail, a heroic western story set in the American West at the close of the 19th century. The movie event helped increase local on Demand ad sales and yield the highest rated cable telecast last year. AMC's Monsterfest premieres annually in October and offers more Halloween content than any other television network, with 240 hours of non-stop horror movies during a ten day period, complemented by Halloween related original programming and network premieres. Last year marked the first time the network built the brand beyond its traditional basic cable home into the On Demand and Broadband platforms.
"With Mad Men's multi-tiered expansion consumers will have the ability to view select episodes when and where they want it and will provide MSO's with the unique ability to provide the content as a value added service pushing their VOD cable and Broadband advanced services," said Charlie Collier, EVP and General Manager of AMC. "This summer, the cable industry is expected to launch more original programming than even before, and to have Mad Men singled out for a promotion of this magnitude shows the value of the content and the importance of the AMC brand."
"AMC's expansion into On Demand and Broadband builds our brand beyond our traditional basic cable home," stated Todd Green, SVP of Affiliate Marketing for Rainbow Media. "We are leveraging the AMC brand and the cinematic quality of content the network provides to build a multi-dimensional cross platform initiative that will help increase the value of our cable partner's existing VOD offerings and Broadband services, while also giving MSOs a new tool to drive more customers to these services."
Created, written and executive produced by Matthew Weiner (Executive Producer/Writer, "The Sopranos"), Mad Men follows the personal and professional lives of New York advertising execs circa 1960. The one-hour, 13-episode weekly series will be produced by Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, and is set to debut on the network on July 19th at 10 PM EST. In 2004 Weiner earned an Emmy nomination for his Soprano's episode "Unidentified Black Males" and has written or co-written over eight episodes including last season's "Luxury Lounge". His other writing credits include "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," "Becker" and "The Naked Truth."
About AMC
AMC is a multi-platform network that celebrates classic movies and high-quality scripted series. Among the elite services reaching over 91,000,000 homes, AMC defines what it means to be a classic movie network today, creating a distinctive viewing experience that celebrates all that is enduringly cool, personal and powerfully relevant about movies. AMC's comprehensive library of popular movies strike a meaningful chord with its audience, and its critically-acclaimed slate of originals all have a cinematic quality that allow them to complement and be complemented by some of the best movies of all time. A division of Rainbow Media Entertainment Services, AMC's sister divisions include WE tv and the IFC Companies. AMC is THE FUTURE OF CLASSIC.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multi-platform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, WE tv, Rainbow Sports Networks managed FSN Bay Area and FSN New England, LIFESKOOL, SPORTSKOOL, and VOOM HD Networks. Through its IFC Entertainment division, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a theatrical feature film distribution company; IFC First Take/IFC in Theaters, a day and date theatrical feature film/VOD initiative; the IFC Center in New York City; IFC Productions, a feature film production company; and IFC Entertainment, which owns and operates a film library. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales division, and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.