The Recently-Premiered “Into the Badlands” Puts AMC Among the Top Ten Most Watched Entertainment Networks in Key Territories
AMC Global Looks Ahead to 2016 with A Raft of Exclusive New Original Series
New York, 17 December 2015 – AMC Global, the international AMC-branded television network which launched in late 2014 and is now available in over 125 countries, is celebrating its first year of operation. The network has seen impressive distribution growth with launches on a number of new platforms internationally as well as strong ratings performance for its programming. AMC Global also has a raft of exclusive new programming set to premiere in the year ahead including thriller “The Night Manager,” season three of “Halt and Catch Fire” and the 15-episode second season of global phenomenon “Fear the Walking Dead,” among others.
Throughout 2015, AMC Global significantly increased its distribution, with launches on leading Pay-TV providers in key territories. The network has had significant growth in Latin America with launches on additional Televisa Telecom systems in Mexico, including Cablecom, and on the Tigo systems throughout Central America, Bolivia and Paraguay. In Central Europe, new distribution partners include Invitel in Hungary and Digi DTH in the Czech Republic. New carriage agreements were secured in Asia with iCable in Hong Kong and Singtel in Singapore. In the UK, AMC launched exclusively on BT TV which helped the platform achieve their largest quarterly subscriber addition of all time.
“We are delighted to see our distribution increase so dramatically and our programming achieve such impact during AMC Global’s first year of operation,” said Bruce Tuchman, President AMC Global and Sundance Channel Global. “There is a substantial appetite for our unique approach to dramatic storytelling, and AMC Global has debuted some of the most acclaimed new dramas this year. We’re looking forward to an even stronger 2016 with a wide range of exclusive series which will further establish AMC Global as a premier entertainment destination.”
AMC Global’s most recent series launch “Into the Badlands” maintained the high level of momentum for the network and achieved record-breaking ratings performance, especially in Central Europe and key Latin America regions. In Central Europe, the series premiere delivered a 2.0 share in both A4+ and A18-49 in Hungary, making AMC Hungary the 8th most watched cable channel in the premiere slot in the A18-49 demographic. This represents the highest premiere ratings for any AMC Global series in Hungary.
In Latin America, the premiere of “Into the Badlands” boosted AMC Global’s Sunday primetime audience by more than 50% among coveted 18-49 audiences versus the previous 4-week average in key markets such as Colombia and Argentina. It placed AMC among the top ten most watched entertainment networks in Argentina. In Asia, the premiere of “Into the Badlands” boosted the channel’s average ratings in the time slot by 70%. In Indonesia, the series premiere delivered 950,000 A4+ viewers with a 1.55% share. The drama premiere’s international successes followed a very strong performance in the U.S. where it delivered 5.1 million adults 18-49 and 5.1 million adults 25-54 in live+3 ratings. In the U.S., the premiere of “Into the Badlands” ranks as the #3 cable series launch of all time among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.
AMC Global has another strong line-up of exclusive programming premieres planned for 2016 including “The Night Manager” starring multiple Emmy® nominee Hugh Laurie (“House”) and Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers). A contemporary interpretation of John le Carré’s espionage thriller and the first television adaptation of a le Carré novel in more than 20 years, the eight-part drama recently wrapped production.
Season Two of the worldwide phenomenon “Fear the Walking Dead,” which just began filming in Mexico, will also premiere next year with 15 new episodes. The companion series to the global hit “The Walking Dead”, the original drama from AMC Studios was another international success story for AMC Global in 2015. The Daily Telegraph in the UK concluded that the series had “expertly pitched tension and finely observed human drama” and when it debuted worldwide, AMC Global achieved unprecedented audience numbers, making it a top ten network for the night in key regional markets including Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. AMC Global in Asia was recently awarded by Promax with “Best Outstanding Marketing Initiative” for its “Fear the Walking Dead” campaign in Asia. International success followed the drama’s record-breaking performance in the U.S. where the series premiere delivered 10.1 million live/same day viewers, becoming the #1 series premiere in cable television history for total viewers and all key demos.
Also returning to AMC Global is the third season of “Halt and Catch Fire,” the drama set in the fledgling personal computing industry in the early 1980s which The Hollywood Reporter said has “excellent writing, impressive acting and a noteworthy cinematic visual style.” In 2016, production will begin on the second season of “HUMANS,” the science fiction drama exploring the emotional implications of a parallel world in which people live alongside realistic android servants.
About AMC Global
AMC Global, a business unit of AMC Networks International, commemorates favourite films from every genre and decade and showcases acclaimed first run original programming to bring audiences something deeper, something richer, Something More. The network has created some of the most award-winning series of the past decade that have re-defined dramatic storytelling. In addition to being widely distributed throughout North America, AMC is available in over 125 countries. AMC Global is a premier entertainment destination that is available in HD and SD and across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.
About AMC Networks International:
AMC Networks International (AMCNI), the global division of AMC Networks, delivers entertaining and acclaimed programming that reaches subscribers in more than 140 countries, including Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. AMCNI consists of global brands, Sundance Channel and AMC, as well as popular, locally recognized channels in various programming genres. For more information, visit: www.www.amcnetworks.com/amcni.
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