AMC’s Streaming Services Grow to 10.8 Million Subscribers, Remain on Pace for 20-25M by 2025

On Friday, the AMC Networks released their second-quarter earnings report, which included the fact that the company’s subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming services added 1.3 million subscribers during the quarter to grow to the combined subscriber total for Acorn TV, ALLBLK, AMC+, Shudder, and Sundance Now to 10.8 million. Collectively, the AMC streamers reported 9.5 million subscribers at the end of Q1. The increase represents a jump of 3.4M subscribers year-over-year due to the expansion of AMC+ domestically and in Spain.

While AMC’s streamers all operate as standalone services, content from Acorn TV, Shudder, and Sundance Now can also be found under the AMC+ umbrella.

AMC executives have remained focused on achieving 20 to 25 million subscribers by 2025 and have achieved their long-stated goal of hitting at least half of that number by the end of 2022. AMC+ has recently been buoyed by the fanfare around the final season of beloved drama “Better Call Saul,” but with the series finale just a few weeks away, the streamer — and its linear sibling — are looking for its next big hit.

The streamer has had recent success with crime-drama “Dark Winds,” spy thriller “The Ipcress File,” dark comedy “This Is Going to Hurt,” and more, but nothing has yet broken through to the levels that “Saul” or its predecessor “Breaking Bad” did.

“AMC Networks delivered a solid second quarter, benefiting from strong subscriber growth for our differentiated streaming services as we execute on our strategy to super-serve passionate audiences with a curated, targeted content experience,” the company’s interim CEO Matt Blank said. “We added nearly 1.3 million new subscribers in aggregate across our streaming portfolio, ahead of our forecast, to end the quarter with 10.8 million total paying subscribers. As we leverage our strong linear business, we are seeing increasing demand for our digital and advanced advertising opportunities. And our content creation strengths were on full display in the quarter, with viewership records, widespread critical acclaim for new and returning series including for Better Call Saul and Dark Winds, and Emmy Award nominations across major categories. We are building our business in a steady, disciplined and sustainable fashion, positioning ourselves for future growth and delivering shareholder value.”

Fortunately, AMC Network’s streamers do not just rely on prestige series to attract and retain customers. Early in the second quarter, it was announced that AMC+ would stream movies from corporate sibling IFC Films immediately following their theatrical window. The program saw the streamer debut a new film every Friday, with genres spanning horror flicks to crime thrillers to documentaries celebrating National Cow Day.

As the streaming services — individually and collectively — have expanded their market share, the company is being very deliberate about their growth strategy by focusing on the types of quality content that their linear and streaming brands are known for. The company’s flagship streamer — AMC+ — has also announced plans to expand into multiple European countries next year, which should help get the platform to execs’ 20-25M subscriber target.