Comcast, AMC combine to launch ad-free content on Xfinity
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Rebecca Hawkes
| 30 June 2017

US cable giant Comcast Xfinity TV subscribers are to be offered ad free access to AMC content, following a deal between the US cable companies to offer greater flexibility to their viewers.

For US$4.99 a month extra, AMC Premiere will provide Xfinity’s digital video viewers with latest season episodes of shows such as The Walking Dead and Into The Badlands at the same time as their live broadcast – but without ad breaks.

“With AMC’s engagement at an all-time high, developing more options for viewers to connect with our content is a priority,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV* and AMC Studios.

“Tens of millions of existing viewers watch our shows through the cable ecosystem, so partnering with Comcast gives us a great opportunity to launch this new idea at scale. We’re excited to make AMC Premiere an available option for Xfinity TV customers, as we continue to build deeper relationships with fan communities across all of our programming and platforms.”

AMC Premiere only offers current programming rather than catalogue AMC content, including earlier seasons of The Walking Dead, Mad Men or Breaking Bad – these are instead licensed to Netflix. However, the cable companies plan to offer original content created specifically and exclusively for AMC Premiere, as well as a curated and refreshed slate of movies, plus trailers.

“We are always looking for new content and innovative experiences to offer our customers that will continually add value to their Xfinity TV subscription,” said Matt Strauss, executive vice president and general manager, Video and Entertainment Services.

“AMC Premiere is a great example of the new and innovative ways programmers can go to market with content and provide viewers with even more choice in how, when and where they access and engage with the network.

The move follows the introduction of a limited ad service on video streaming platform Hulu, which costs $4 more per month than its advertising laden service, and YouTube’s ad-free service Red, which is priced at $10 a month. CBS All Access has also recently launched an ad-free option.