AMC COO Says AMC Plus Price Point is Fair Given the Amount of Combined Content on the Platform

AMC Networks first launched their streaming service, AMC+ back in June. The service, which was a replacement of AMC premiere was initially only available to through cable companies like Comcast on their X1 and Flex devices. In July, it came to streaming through Sling TV for the first time.

In October, the company expanded AMC+’s reach, by offering the service through Apple TV Channels and Amazon Prime Video Channels. The move came at a cost however. Through Comcast the service is just $4.99 and Sling TV just $6.99 — but through Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV Channels it is $8.99, after a 7-Day Free Trial.

During their Q3 earnings call today, COO of AMC Networks, Ed Carroll, defended the steep price point—citing the amount of combined content the service has to offer—and also gave an explanation as to why Comcast customers get a better deal.

“Comcast really was a co-architect of that concept of taking AMC content and making it available in a premium commercial free sort of binge friendly format, and that was about a $5 price point. So with all that value, as you would imagine, we did a fair amount of modeling and determined that $8.99 was the right introductory price point and we’ll be migrating some of those AMC premieres at lower price points to higher price points over time,” he explained.

“In the few weeks we’ve been out there, the power of the broad offering on ‘The Walking Dead’ is proving very compelling to subscribers, and so when we combine that with Shudder and then the scary movies and original series such as ‘Creepshow,’ we have a lot of experience programming into this genre—in defense of the genre content…So we think the combination of AMC content combined with the offerings of some of our targeted SVODS, I’m talking about Shudder and Sundance Now, it’s a sweet spot. It’s still a targeted product but it’s one with a significantly higher ceiling.”

Carroll also added that highly rated shows such as “Madman,” “Killing Eve” and “Better Call Saul” also adds high value to the cache of the streaming service.

AMC+ carries original shows from AMC, Sundance TV and IFC, as well as streamers Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited. The streamer also houses “The Walking Dead” and ‘NOS4A2.”