AMC Actively Testing Stand Alone Streaming Service

Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead: AMC has some of the best, most highly acclaimed dramas anywhere. Historically AMC has been very friendly with large streaming services like Netflix. Major deals have been struck allowing users to watch  most of their favorite AMC shows online.  But what if AMC pulled the plug on all that? Maybe they feel as though, as a semi-premium cable channel, they could get more cash from users if they went to them directly. This week AMC took its first step in that direction.

AMC’s Shudder is a new stand-alone streaming service giving users access to 100’s of horror movies in the AMC library. The cost? $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year. Now, we know this isn’t the same as AMC proper but the fact that AMC has lined up an engineering division capable of creating an app confirms that the cable channel is looking to dip their toes into the streaming game.

The field is getting very crowded these days. HBO, ESPN, MLB and Showtime have their own apps. There’s Netflix, Hulu and Amazon video, all with their own licenses and exclusives. Will AMC’s break-away from the likes of Netflix further fragment the market?  How much will it cost to get access to ALL television content in 2020? That cable package is starting to look less and less ridiculous at $60-$70 per month for every show, most apps, all the time.

Reporters opined that HBO’s move to HBO Now marked the end of cable as we know it. But maybe AMC is the real Kingslayer. Would you subscribe to an AMC app?  How much would you pay?