AMC

AMC Introduces ”Story Matters Here”

Unifying Principle Defines All Facets of the Network

Network Launches Customized Opportunities for Advertisers With Branded Storytelling

New York, NY – March 31, 2009 – Further solidifying AMC as the network that honors great storytelling through its movies, movie franchises and original programming, the network announced today Story Matters Here a new tagline and informing principle that links Story throughout all areas of the business. Story Matters Here unifies what the network represents and how it continues to be informed, impacting everything from the marketing and programming to the way the network is scheduled and its internal culture. Story Matters Here launches with the season finale of Breaking Bad on Sunday, May 31stt at 10pm EST.

"Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade, or creating insightful non-scripted programming and acclaimed original productions, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories," said Charlie Collier, president and GM of AMC. "Story Matters Here defines what the network stands for and is the common thread unifying everything we do and will continue to do in a meaningful way that resonates with our advertisers, affiliates and our audience."

Story Matters Here brings value to advertisers with Branded Storytelling, an extension of what AMC had launched in last year’s upfront with the Audience Identity Metric (AIM). AIM is AMC’s audience measurement tool that better enables television advertisers to deliver their messages to the right audience, in the right environment, at the right time. Branded Storytelling extends that notion through customizing the movie experience to fit advertisers’ needs, allowing them to better tell their brand story through AMC’s programming. Examples include: Takeovers where advertisers can own an entire episode, movie or day with their messages; Matching Moments, where AMC breaks the action with a sponsored pod that directly follows relevant content; and Matching Attributes, where brands’ messages are connected to key movie story content by using custom creative to air specifically within the film.

With Story Matters Here, AMC is relaunching its weekly prime-time schedule, using the Story Matters Here principle, for the first time creating themed nights for its programming where each night becomes story-driven. The nights are scheduled in a way that creates a narrative that links the movies with short-form interstitial programming.

Mondays
Female night: films targeting women featuring wraps on lifestyle, beauty, food, friendship and family

Tuesdays
Cinemania: AMC’s hosted interactive short-form program featuring sponsored trivia, wraps, product placement, and prizing

Wednesdays
Action Pack: Hollywood’s top action films geared toward men

Thursdays
Opening Night: AMC News is on red carpets around the world covering the hottest new film releases, all within the Thursday 8pm feature film

Fridays & Saturdays
Event Nights: a rotating series of special events and sponsor opportunities focusing on Themes such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day and Summer

Sundays
Originals: scripted Storytelling starting at ten

"AMC’s new scheduling strategy represents a significant shift in the way the network is programmed. The destination programming creates a new way for viewers to tune-in and a new way for AMC to sell the network to advertisers," said Bill Rosolie, EVP of sales for AMC. "Our branded storytelling program creates custom integrated and unique opportunities that provides advertisers context to their messages when reaching AMC’s audience."

In July of 2006, AMC entered into the original programming arena with Broken Trail starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church, which garnered record ratings for AMC and scored four Emmy wins. In the summer of 2007, AMC debuted its first original drama Mad Men. The series has received overwhelming recognition from the industry including making history by becoming the first cable network to garner back to back Golden Globe® wins for Best Dramatic Television Series and receiving multiple Emmy wins including making history again by becoming the first cable network to win for Outstanding Drama series. Then in January of 2008, AMC premiered its newest original series, Breaking Bad, which took home the Emmy for outstanding lead actor for Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of lead character Walt White. The network features an extensive library of iconic, top-rated movies, acclaimed unscripted originals and specials, including AMC Story Makers with Peter Bart and Peter Guber, and curated movie franchises including Hollywood Icon, AMC Complete Collection and AMC Celebrates.

About AMC
AMC is a multi-platform network that celebrates movies and high-quality scripted series. Among the elite services available in nearly 94 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC defines what it means to be a 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. AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, WE tv and Sundance Channel.

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, multiplatform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world’s most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC (The Independent Film Channel), WE tv, Sundance Channel, IFC Entertainment and VOOM HD Networks. Through IFC Entertainment, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a leading U.S. distributor of independent and foreign film with a unique day and date distribution model, "IFC In Theaters," that makes films available to a national audience by releasing them simultaneously in theaters as well as on cable’s On Demand platform; IFC Festival Direct features titles acquired from major international film festivals and initially offers them exclusively through On Demand; IFC Productions, a feature film production company; and IFC Center, a state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, an advertising sales company; Rainbow Network Communications, a full service network programming origination and distribution company; and 11 Penn TV, a company that manages Rainbow Media’s NYC studios and post-production facilities.

Press Contacts

  • Lisa Rogen
    AMC
    917.542.6216