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{{Short description|American TV channel}}
{{About|the American TV channel|the European TV channel|AMC (European TV channel)|the Asian TV channel|AMC (Asian TV channel)|the African and Middle Eastern TV channel|AMC (African and Middle Eastern TV channel)|the American movie theater chain|AMC Theatres}}
{{update|reason=Out of date households, ''The Walking Dead'' franchise expansion & the end of the original series, lack of major updates to History section|date=March 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = AMC
| logo = [[File:AMC logo 2019.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]]
| logo_size = 240px
| image = 
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|1984|10|1}}
| closed_date = 
| picture_format = [[1080i]] [[HDTV]]<br />(downscaled to [[480i]] [[letterboxed]] for the [[SDTV]] feed)
| owner = [[AMC Networks]]
| country = [[United States]]
| language = [[English Language|English]]
| area = North America
(United States<br />Canada)
| headquarters = [[New York City]], [[United States]]
| sister_channels = [[BBC America]]<br />[[IFC (American TV channel)|IFC]]<br />[[Sundance TV]]<br />[[We TV]]
| online_serv_1 = Service(s)
| online_chan_1 = [[Philo (company)|Philo]], [[YouTube TV]], [[Sling TV]], [[DirecTV Stream]]
| terr_serv_2 = 
| terr_chan_2 = 
| former_names = American Movie Classics (1984–2002)
| website = {{URL|amc.com}}
}}

'''AMC''' is an American [[basic cable|cable]] [[television channel]] that, since 2002, mainly [[Broadcasting|airs]] a mix of original AMC shows, mostly dramas and documentaries, as well as acquired TV programs, and theatrically released [[film]]s. Launched in late 1984 as '''American Movie Classics''', the [[flagship]] property of [[AMC Networks]], the channel aired classic films (from before 1970), similar to [[Turner Classic Movies]], the channel's former rival. In 2002, AMC retired the ''American Movie Classics'' name, resulting from the [[Channel drift|major shift]] in [[List of programs broadcast by AMC|its programming]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Gildemeister |first=Christopher |title=What Your Kids are Discovering on Discovery Channel |url=http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/culturewatch/2006/1016.asp |publisher=Parents Television Council |date=October 16, 2006 |access-date=January 22, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210254/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/culturewatch/2006/1016.asp |archive-date=September 30, 2007  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=When TV network changes name, look close |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/03/networkacronyms.ap/ |work=CNN.com |agency=Associated Press |date=March 3, 2003 |access-date=May 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417043745/http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/03/networkacronyms.ap/ |archive-date=April 17, 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

As of December 2024, AMC was available in approximately 60 million U.S. pay-TV households.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cable TV Continues Decline: AMC Now in Just 60 Million Homes |url=https://cordcuttersnews.com/amc-now-in-60-million-homes/ |website=Cord Cutters News |date=December 20, 2024 |access-date=2025-04-14}}</ref> This marks a decline from 65.1 million households in December 2023<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrestlenomics.com/u-s-cable-network-households-universe-1990-2023-nielsen-data/|title=U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023|website=wrestlenomics.com|date=May 14, 2024|access-date=July 28, 2019}}</ref> and 94.8 million in July 2015,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/07/21/list-of-how-many-homes-each-cable-network-is-in-as-of-july-2015/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160102143715/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/07/21/list-of-how-many-homes-each-cable-network-is-in-as-of-july-2015/|url-status = dead|archive-date = January 2, 2016|title = List of how many homes each cable network is in as of July 2015|work = TV by the Numbers|publisher = Zap2it|date = July 21, 2015|access-date = July 21, 2015}}</ref> reflecting the broader trend of [[cord-cutting]] and the shift toward streaming platforms.

==History==
{{update section|reason=No updates made since 2016. For example, ''The Walking Dead'' ended in 2022, while spin-offs have been produced since 2013|date=March 2024}}

===1984–2002: Focus on classic films===
American Movie Classics, as AMC was originally known, debuted on October 1, 1984, as a [[pay television|premium channel]] by [[AMC Networks|Rainbow Programming Services]] (The predecessor to current-day AMC Networks owned by [[Cablevision]]). Its original format focused on classic movies – largely those made prior to the 1970s – that aired during the afternoon and early evening hours in a [[television commercial|commercial]]-free, generally unedited, uncut, uninterrupted and [[colorizing|uncolorized]] format.<ref name="fine arts hard to find">Gildemeister, Christopher. [http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/culturewatch/2006/1002.asp The Fine Arts Are Hard To Find] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930220349/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/culturewatch/2006/1002.asp |date=September 30, 2007 }}. [[Parents Television Council]], October 2, 2006.</ref> The new network replaced '''Montage''', a channel with a similar format that was being offered to Cablevision subscribers in the [[New York City Metropolitan Area|New York]] area.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Knoll |first1=Steve |title=CABLE TV NOTES; NEW SERVICE SHOPS FOR VINTAGE FILMS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/15/arts/cable-tv-notes-new-service-shops-for-vintage-films.html |access-date=April 28, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=July 15, 1984}}</ref>

In 1985, Rainbow became involved in a dispute with [[Ted Turner]]'s [[Turner Broadcasting System]] over broadcast rights to the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]]/[[United Artists|UA]] film library. On July 30 of that year, Rainbow had paid $45 million to license up to 800 pre-1950 films from the library. Weeks later, Turner announced an agreement to purchase the film studio with the intention of airing the films on his [[TBS (American TV channel)|Superstation WTBS]]. Rainbow claimed it had exclusive basic cable rights to the films for the next five years. Despite its widespread cable carriage, Turner claimed that because WTBS was a broadcast station, the restriction did not apply. This led to both companies filing lawsuits against each other in September, and MGM/UA terminating the agreement with Rainbow after alleging that Rainbow had breached it by announcing its intention to offer a premium tier to the AMC cable service. By October, the lawsuit was settled. Rainbow received $50 million<ref>{{cite journal |title=Rainbow's pot |journal=Broadcasting Magazine |date=October 21, 1985 |page=p |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/85-OCR/BC-1985-10-21-OCR-Page-0009.pdf |access-date=April 28, 2021}}</ref> and agreed to terminate the licensing deal on December 31, 1985, before which time AMC would not be allowed to convert to a basic service.<ref>{{cite news |title=MGM FILM DISPUTE IS SETTLED |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/19/business/mgm-film-dispute-is-settled.html |access-date=April 28, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=October 19, 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=TBS And MGM-UA Reach Agreement With Rainbow |url=https://apnews.com/article/28497a8a796e6e0a3214639d907fbd73 |access-date=April 28, 2021 |work=AP NEWS |date=October 18, 1985}}</ref> Turner completed the acquisition of MGM in early 1986, but his ownership was short-lived and he sold it back to the previous owner months later. However, he retained the film library and executed his original plan to air the movies on WTBS and later on his new networks [[TNT (American TV network)|Turner Network Television]] and [[Turner Classic Movies]], a direct competitor to AMC.

The new movie network struggled to gain carriage. By March 1986, it had only 300,000 subscribers. To solve this problem, Cablevision and [[CBS]] (which became half owner of Rainbow about a year earlier) worked out a deal with the nation's largest cable television provider, [[Tele-Communications Inc.]] (TCI). TCI gained a one-third interest in AMC (but not [[Bravo (American TV network)|Bravo]], Rainbow's other network) and in exchange made AMC available as an offering for most of its 3.9 million subscribers.<ref>{{cite journal |title=TCI raises programing interests, buys into AMC |journal=Broadcasting |date=March 24, 1986 |page=41 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/86-OCR/BC-1986-03-24-OCR-Page-0041.pdf |access-date=April 27, 2021}}</ref> (TCI's [[Liberty Media]] division eventually would create another premium service—[[Encore (TV network)|Encore]], which also originally focused on older films, mainly from the 1960s to the 1980s – five years later in April 1991). During its early years, it was not uncommon for AMC to host a marathon of [[Marx Brothers]] films, or show classics such as the original 1925 release of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]''. In 1987, the channel began to be carried on the [[Cable television in the United States|basic cable]] tiers of many cable providers.<ref name="fine arts hard to find"/><ref name="museum">Gomery, Douglas. [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/A/htmlA/americanmovi/americanmovi.htm American Movie Classics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103010048/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/A/htmlA/americanmovi/americanmovi.htm |date=January 3, 2008 }}. [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]</ref> In July 1988, AMC added its first original programming: ''Classic Stories From Classic Stars'' (featuring interviews), followed later that year by ''Star Facts'' (biographies) and a mini-documentary series ''Making of a Classic''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Original programing in works for AMC |journal=Broadcasting Magazine |date=October 17, 1988 |page=53 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/88-OCR/BC-1988-10-17-OCR-Page-0053.pdf |access-date=April 28, 2021}}</ref> By 1989, AMC was available to 39 million subscribers in the U.S.<ref name="museum"/>

On December 1, 1990, AMC began operating on a 24-hour-a-day schedule.

Beginning in 1993, AMC presented an annual Film Preservation Festival to raise awareness of and funding for [[film preservation]]. Coordinated with [[The Film Foundation]], an industry group that was founded by acclaimed director [[Martin Scorsese]], the festival was originally conceived as a multi-day [[marathon (television)|marathon]] presenting rare and previously [[lost film]]s, many airing for the first time on television, along with behind-the-scenes reports on the technical and monetary issues faced by those engaged in archival restoration. Portions of the festival were often dedicated to all-day marathons focusing on a single performer. During its fifth anniversary year in 1998, Scorsese credited the Festival for creating "not only a greater awareness, but ''[...]'' more of an expectation now to see restored films."<ref>{{Cite news |last=King |first=Susan |date=October 2, 1997 |title=Save That Movie! – After a slow start, AMC's Film Preservation Festival has raised $1.3 million |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-02-ca-38251-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=September 20, 2008}}</ref> In 1996, curator of the [[Museum of Modern Art]] Mary Lee Bandy called the Festival "the most important public event in support of film preservation."<ref name="query.nytimes.com">[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/30/tv/restoring-films-to-a-former-glory.html?pagewanted=all Van Gelder, Lawrence, (June 30, 1996) "Restoring Films to a Former Glory"], ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved September 20, 2008.</ref> By its tenth anniversary in 2003, the Festival had raised $2 million from the general public, which The Film Foundation divided among its five-member archives.<ref>{{cite news |last=Elber |first=Lynn |date=August 29, 2002 |title=Even 1970s Rock Fests Need Film Preservation |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-aug-30-et-elber30-story.html |agency=[[Associated Press]]|work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref>

In 1993, Cablevision's Rainbow Media division became the majority owner of the channel, when it bought out Liberty Media's 50% stake in AMC; incidentally in August of that year, Liberty announced its intent to purchase the 25% stake in the channel that Cablevision held at the time, with the [[Turner Broadcasting System]] helping to finance the buyout that included an option for TBS to eventually acquire AMC outright.<ref>[[John M. Higgins (journalist)|Higgins, John M.]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105164207/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-14473791.html "Cablevision makes moves on AMC"], ''[[Multichannel News]]'', September 20, 1993.</ref><ref>[[John M. Higgins|Higgins, John M.]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105164227/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-14470203.html "Liberty eyes Cablevision's share of AMC"], ''Multichannel News'', August 23, 1993.</ref> The following year, [[Time Warner]] (which later purchased rival [[Turner Classic Movies]] following the company's 1996 acquisition of the Turner Broadcasting System) also attempted to acquire at least part of Liberty Media's stake in AMC.<ref>[[John M. Higgins (journalist)|Higgins, John M.]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105164427/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15696153.html "Warner seeks AMC stake"], ''[[Multichannel News]]'', June 13, 1994.</ref>

In June 1995, AMC became involved with another dispute with Turner. It filed a $550 million [[breach of contract]] lawsuit against [[Turner Entertainment]], which alleged that the company violated AMC's exclusive cable television rights to the pre-1950 [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] film library to broadcast approximately 30 times between July 1994 and April 1995, charging that Turner's objective in violating the contract was "to gain unfair advantage for the Turner Classic Movies cable network (which debuted in April 1994) at the expense of AMC."; Turner owns rights to the [[RKO Radio Pictures]] film library and licensed RKO's films to AMC in an output deal that was slated to last through 2004. Under the terms of the deal, AMC obtained the RKO titles in exclusive windows.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121105164140/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-17277280.html Katz, Richard. "AMC sues TBS for $250M over RKO films rights"], ''[[Multichannel News]]'', June 26, 1995.</ref>

Around this time, [[General Electric]]/[[NBC]] owned a stake in AMC – which it divested in the early 2000s. From 1996 to 1998, AMC aired its first original series, ''[[Remember WENN]]'', a half-hour scripted series about a radio station during the [[Golden Age of Radio|peak of radio's influence]] in the 1930s. The show was well received by both critics and its enthusiastic fans, but was abruptly cancelled after its fourth season following management changes at the channel (WENN was followed up by ''[[The Lot (TV series)|The Lot]]'', which lasted for only 17 episodes). Despite a well publicized write-in campaign to save the series, the show was not renewed for its originally scheduled fifth season.

[[File:AMC logo 1999.png|150px|thumb|AMC logo used from 1999 to 2002]]
One popular AMC program was ''American Pop!'' (originally intended as a preview of a new 24-hour cable channel),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4789318-1.html |title="AMC Ushering In Nostalgic American Pop" (1998-06-20), ''Hollywood Reporter''. Retrieved on 2008-9-20 via |publisher=Allbusiness.com |access-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref> which ran from 1998 to 2003 and featured movies from the 1950s and 1960s aimed at [[baby boomers]] (such as ''[[Beach Blanket Bingo]]'' and ''[[Ski Party]]''). Of particular interest to movie completists were the segments that AMC played to fill out the timeslot (Saturday nights from 10:00&nbsp;p.m. to 12:00&nbsp;a.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Time]]): classic [[film trailer|movie trailers]], [[drive-in]] movie ads and [[Snipe (theatrical)|snipes]] (bits extolling viewers to visit the snack bar, etc.), along with [[music videos]] cribbed from movie musicals from the period.

The majority of the films presented on AMC during the 1990s had originally been released by [[Paramount Pictures]], [[20th Century Fox]], [[Columbia Pictures]], and [[Universal Pictures]]. The channel also occasionally showed classic [[silent film]]s. The regular hosts of the telecasts were Bob Dorian and later, [[Nick Clooney]] (brother of singer [[Rosemary Clooney|Rosemary]] and father of actor and businessman [[George Clooney|George]]), as well as [[New York City]] radio personality [[Gene Klavan]] from WNEW (1130 AM, now [[WBBR]]). Another WNEW alum, [[Al "Jazzbo" Collins]], provided his voice for the "Jazzbo's Swingin' Soundies" series of [[interstitial programming|interstitials]].

For most of its first 18 years in existence, AMC provided uncut and uncolorized films without commercial interruption. Its revenue came from carriage fees provided by the cable providers that maintained carriage agreements with the channel. However, in 1998, AMC began accepting traditional advertising, incorporating limited commercial interruptions between films (its sister movie channel [[Romance Classics]], which had launched only one year earlier, became an entirely ad-supported channel at that point).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121105140314/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19429076.html AMC on sponsorships: 'roll 'em!'], ''[[Multichannel News]]'', March 24, 1997.</ref> By 2001, AMC had also incorporated commercial breaks during its movie telecasts.<ref>Battaglio, Stephen. It now has enough commercials to make movie watching almost as intolerable as any other commercial channel.[http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2003/06/27/2003-06-27_old-movie_channels_nearing_s.html "Old-Movie Channels Nearing Showdown".]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]''. June 27, 2003.</ref> As a result of this move, Turner Classic Movies became the only one of the two classic film-focused networks to present their films commercial-free.

===2002–2009: Format change and expansion into original programming===
[[File:Amc logo.svg|150px|right|thumb|AMC logo, used from September 30, 2002, to March 30, 2013]]

On September 30, 2002, AMC underwent a significant rebranding, changing its format from a classic movie channel,  to a more general focus on movies from all eras<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110809174330/http://www.amctv.com/faq#q10 Why did AMC change its format?] From the AMCtv.com FAQ</ref> – as well as shortening its name to just the "AMC" abbreviation, and introducing a new logo (a rectangular outline with a lowercase and uppercase "a<small>MC</small>" text) and a new slogan that says TV for Movie people. Kate McEnroe, then-president of Rainbow Media, cited lack of subsidies from cable providers as the reason for the addition of advertising, and cited ad agencies who insist on programming relevant to their products' consumers as the reason for the shift to recent movies instead of just classics.<ref name="Dempsey">{{cite web|last=Dempsey|first=John|url=https://variety.com/2002/tv/news/amc-moves-forward-1117866790/|title=AMC moves forward|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 13, 2002|access-date=December 19, 2018}}</ref> At the time of the format switchover, the company also attempted to launch a spin-off [[digital cable]] channel, AMC's Hollywood Classics, which would have required viewers to pay an extra fee to receive the channel. This commercial-free channel would have aired black-and-white classics from the 1930s through the 1950s that American Movie Classics had been airing up until its format changeover; however, the new channel never debuted.<ref name="Dempsey"/><ref>Battaglio, Stephen. [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2003/06/27/2003-06-27_old-movie_channels_nearing_s.html "Old-Movie Channels Nearing Showdown"]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]''. June 28, 2002.</ref>

AMC also gradually brought back original programming. In 2004, AMC aired its first [[reality television|reality series]], ''FilmFakers''; the show featured out-of-work actors who believed they were auditioning for a major role in a real movie, only to be told that they were the subject of a prank and no film actually existed. A ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' article on the show said that "''FilmFakers'' may go down as one of the meanest reality series yet."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/26/arts/television/26fake.html?_r=1&ex=1256529600&en=63ed372d8a3775a1&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland | work=The New York Times | title=Quiet on the Fake Set; Cue the Unsuspecting Actor | first=Lola | last=Ogunnaike | date=October 26, 2004 | access-date=April 23, 2010}}</ref> From 2003 to 2007, AMC was a channel focused on American films partially classics as well as documentaries about film history such as ''Backstory'' and ''Movies that Shook the World''.

On September 1, 2006, AMC officially became available in Canada for cable customers of [[Shaw Cable]] and satellite customers of [[Shaw Direct]] (formerly StarChoice), marking the first time AMC was made available outside the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/shaw-communications-brings-critically-acclaimed-24-7-movie-channel-traditional-cable-609788.htm |title=Shaw Communications Brings Critically Acclaimed 24/7 Movie Channel to Traditional Cable Line-Up |publisher=[[Marketwired]] |date=August 29, 2006 |access-date=January 3, 2017 |archive-date=January 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165533/http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/shaw-communications-brings-critically-acclaimed-24-7-movie-channel-traditional-cable-609788.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In late 2007, AMC debuted its first original drama series ''[[Mad Men]]'', a [[period piece]] about [[Madison Avenue]] [[advertising]] executives in the 1960s. The show was immediately lauded by critics,<ref name="Stanley">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/arts/television/19stan.html?em&ex=1184990400&en=321917a96ed3bbf9&ei=5087%0A | work=The New York Times | title=Smoking, Drinking, Cheating and Selling | first=Alessandra | last=Stanley | date=July 18, 2006 | access-date=December 16, 2010}}</ref> and won 16 [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/mad-men |title=Mad Men — Television Academy |author =<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Television Academy |access-date=May 28, 2014}}</ref> and a [[Peabody Award]].<ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/mad-men 67th Annual Peabody Awards], May 2008.</ref> ''[[Breaking Bad]]'', a drama series about [[Walter White (Breaking Bad)|Walter White]], a [[cancer]]-stricken chemistry teacher involved in making and dealing [[methamphetamine]] (played by [[Bryan Cranston]], who had been known primarily for comedic roles in series such as ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'' prior to the series), premiered in 2008; also garnering critical acclaim, winning 16 Primetime Emmy Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/breaking-bad |title=Breaking Bad — Television Academy |author =<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Television Academy |access-date=May 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wyatt |first=Daisy |date=May 18, 2014 |title=TV Baftas 2014: Breaking Bad wins Best International series |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/tv-baftas-2014-breaking-bad-beats-borgen-and-house-of-cards-to-win-best-international-series-9392903.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519184808/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/tv-baftas-2014-breaking-bad-beats-borgen-and-house-of-cards-to-win-best-international-series-9392903.html |archive-date=May 19, 2014 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=May 28, 2014 }}</ref> ''Breaking Bad'' and ''Mad Men'' ended their runs in 2013 and 2015, respectively, with ''Breaking Bad'' receiving a spin-off in the form of ''[[Better Call Saul]]''.

===2009–2013: "Story Matters Here"===
On May 31, 2009, during the second-season finale of ''Breaking Bad'', AMC rebranded with the introduction of a new slogan, "Story Matters Here".<ref name=somethingmore>{{cite web|title=AMC Introduces ''Story Matters Here''|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2009/03/31/amc-introduces-story-matters-here-30868/20090331amc01/|website=The Futon Critic|access-date=August 15, 2013}}</ref> Later that year, the network premiered its second miniseries, ''[[The Prisoner (2009 miniseries)|The Prisoner]]''. On January 4, 2010, AMC began airing [[infomercial]]s on Monday through Saturday mornings from 6:00 to 9:00&nbsp;a.m. Eastern Time; the Saturday morning infomercial block was eliminated after its March 25, 2011, airing as AMC added a Saturday block of [[western (genre)|western]] series and films the following week. 2010 also saw the premieres of ''[[Rubicon (TV series)|Rubicon]]'' and ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]''. While ''Rubicon'' was cancelled, ''The Walking Dead'' became an enormous success and has become the most watched scripted program in basic cable history.

AMC became the flagship property of modern-day [[AMC Networks]] after Cablevision spun off Rainbow Media. Cablevision founder [[Charles Dolan]] and his family continue to retain a controlling interest in the company.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2011/06/amc-networks-goes-public-with-hot-shows-and-analysts-looking-for-a-sale-144751/ AMC Networks Goes Public With Hot Shows, And Analysts Looking For A Sale] ''Deadline New York'' July 1, 2011</ref> Also during this year, the network introduced two new dramas (''[[The Killing (American TV series)|The Killing]]'' and ''[[Hell on Wheels (TV series)|Hell on Wheels]]''), two original web series (''[[The Trivial Pursuits of Arthur Banks]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amc.com/shows/the-trivial-pursuits-of-arthur-banks/talk/2011/07/the-trivial-pursuits-of-arthur-banks|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118233317/http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2011/07/the-trivial-pursuits-of-arthur-banks.php#more|url-status=dead|title=AMC Launches AMC Digital Studios With The Trivial Pursuits of Arthur Banks on Aug. 22|archivedate=January 18, 2012}}</ref> and ''[[The Walking Dead: Torn Apart]]''), and the ''Walking Dead'' discussion series ''[[Talking Dead]]''. In 2012, AMC premiered three original reality series: ''[[The Pitch (TV series)|The Pitch]]'', ''[[Comic Book Men]]''<ref name=secret>[http://www.multichannel.com/article/473160-AMC_Greenlights_Two_Unscripted_Series.php AMC Greenlights Two Unscripted Series] ''Multichannel News'' September 1, 2011,</ref> and ''[[Small Town Security]]''; along with a second web series spun off from ''The Walking Dead'', ''[[The Walking Dead: Cold Storage]]''.<ref name=secret/>

====2012 Dish Network carriage dispute====
In July 2012, AMC was dropped from [[Dish Network]], in conjunction with a [[carriage dispute]] with the satellite provider, citing that AMC Networks charged an excessive amount in [[retransmission consent]] payments from the service for carriage which was in disproportion with the lower audience viewership for the channels. AMC Networks cited the removal as being related to a [[breach of contract]] lawsuit filed against Dish Network by the channel's former parent Rainbow Media's [[Voom HD Networks]] in 2008 for improperly terminating its carriage contract; Dish Network denied that the lawsuit had any relation to the decision to remove AMC and its sister channels and that it ended the carriage agreement on its own terms.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Liana |last2=Adegoke |first2=Yinka |date=4 May 2012 |title=CORRECTED-DISH subscribers could lose 'Mad Men' in dispute |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/04/amc-dish-idUSL1E8G4C0B20120504/ |access-date=9 January 2024}}</ref> However, the two companies came to a resolution, bringing back the channel (and sister networks [[Independent Film Channel|IFC]], [[Sundance Channel (United States)|Sundance Channel]] and [[WE tv]]) to Dish in October 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 October 2012 |title=AMC Networks: Press Releases |url=https://www.amcnetworks.com/release_release_press.jsp?nodeid=6595 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319162414/https://www.amcnetworks.com/release_release_press.jsp?nodeid=6595 |archive-date=19 March 2013 |access-date=10 January 2024 |website=AMC Networks}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=21 October 2012 |title=DISH Network - DISH Network and Voom Reach Settlement |url=http://press.dishnetwork.com/press-releases/dish-network-and-voom-reach-settlement-nasdaq-dish-0944283 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023152436/http://press.dishnetwork.com/press-releases/dish-network-and-voom-reach-settlement-nasdaq-dish-0944283 |archive-date=23 October 2012 |access-date=10 January 2024 |website=DISH Network}}</ref>

===2013–2016: "Something More"===
[[File:AMC logo 2016.svg|150px|right|thumb|AMC logo, used from 2013 to 2019]]

On March 31, 2013, during the third-season finale of ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]'', AMC unveiled a rebranding campaign with the new slogan "Something More", and inverted the logo from a rectangular outlined box to a solid gold block with the network's acronymic name retained in the center.<ref>{{cite news|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|title=AMC Rebrands With New Logo, Tagline|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/amc-rebrands-new-logo-tagline-431997|access-date=April 1, 2013|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 1, 2013}}</ref> 2013 saw the channel's unscripted slate double with the additions of ''[[Owner's Manual (TV series)|Owner's Manual]]'', ''Showville'', the second part of the final season of ''[[Breaking Bad]]'', the ''Breaking Bad'' discussion series ''[[Talking Bad]]'', and the second season of the unscripted series ''[[Freakshow (TV series)|Freakshow]]'', before being cancelled.

Also in April, ''[[Rectify]]'', which was originally developed for AMC, premiered on AMC's sister channel [[Sundance TV|Sundance Channel]] to jump-start that network's emerging slate of original scripted programming. It was then followed by the July announcement that fellow sister channel [[WE tv]] had picked up another series originally developed for AMC for the 2012-13 development slate, ''[[The Divide (TV series)|The Divide]]'', to series. During this timeframe, AMC had started to run marathons of certain shows and cross-promote programs from its co-owned sister channels.

In July 2013, the network announced that it had given series orders for two dramas: ''[[Turn: Washington's Spies]]'' (which premiered on April 6, 2014) and ''[[Halt and Catch Fire (TV series)|Halt and Catch Fire]]'' (which premiered on June 1, 2014). This marked the first time that AMC had four pilot orders picked up to series in the same cycle, the other two being ''The Divide'' and ''[[Low Winter Sun (American TV series)|Low Winter Sun]]'' (the latter premiered on August 11, 2013, after the season premiere of the final season of ''Breaking Bad''). The former two would both be renewed for second seasons while the latter two were cancelled after their first seasons. AMC would then pick up ''[[Into the Badlands (TV series)|Into the Badlands]]'' for a six episode first season<ref name="Badlands">{{cite web|title=AMC Orders Martial Arts Drama 'Badlands' Straight to Series|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/amc-orders-martial-arts-drama-718121|first=Lesley|last=Goldberg|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=July 11, 2014|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> and ''Breaking Bad'' spinoff ''[[Better Call Saul]]'' for two seasons.

====Shift away from unscripted programming====

On October 9, 2014, it was announced that AMC would scrap its entire current and future unscripted slate outside ''Talking Dead'' and ''Comic Book Men''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|title=AMC Abandons Unscripted Programming To Focus On Scripted Series, 'Talking Dead' & 'Comic Book Men' To Continue|url=https://deadline.com/2014/10/amc-unscripted-programming-scripted-series-talking-dead-comic-book-men-849024/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=October 10, 2014 |access-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref> This announcement came shortly after AMC took over the United States co-production of the sci-fi drama [[Humans (TV series)|''Humans'']] from [[Xbox Entertainment Studios]].<ref name="humans">{{cite web|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|title=It's Official: AMC Picks Up Channel 4 Series 'Humans'|url=https://deadline.com/2014/09/humans-amc-channel-4-838483/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=September 22, 2014 |access-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref> AMC Media recently bought the European media giant [[Chello Media]] from [[Liberty Global]]. At the end of October, it was announced that AMC had won the bidding war to air the miniseries ''The Night Manager''.<ref name="tnm">{{cite web|last1=Goldberg|first1=Lesley|title=AMC Lands Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston Limited Series 'Night Manager'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/amc-lands-hugh-laurie-tom-741403|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=October 30, 2014 |access-date=December 29, 2014}}</ref> In November, [[AMC Networks]] renamed the European [[MGM Channel (European TV channel)|MGM Channel]] to [[AMC (Europe)|AMC]].<ref>{{cite web|author =The Hollywood Reporter |url=http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/09/20/amc-set-for-november-launch-in-europe/ |title=AMC set for November launch in Europe |publisher=Broadband TV News |date=September 20, 2014 |access-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref> In January 2015, the Asian MGM channel also became AMC as well.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} In January 2015, AMC announced that they would be airing the eight part miniseries ''[[The Making of the Mob: New York]]''.<ref name="Deadline">{{cite web|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|title=AMC Sets Premiere Date For 'Mad Men' Final Episodes, Sets Mob Miniseries, Confirms Pickup Of 'Night Manager' Mini|url=https://deadline.com/2015/01/mad-men-final-episodes-premiere-date-making-of-the-mob-miniseries-night-manager-amc-1201346432/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=January 10, 2015 |access-date=January 10, 2015}}</ref>

In March 2015, [[Sling TV]] announced it would soon add [[AMC Networks]] (including [[BBC America]], [[IFC (American TV channel)|IFC]], [[Sundance TV]], and [[We TV]]) to its service.<ref>{{cite news|work=TechHive|title=Sling TV bulks up base package with AMC and IFC|last=Newman|first=Jared |date =March 4, 2015 |url=http://www.techhive.com/article/2892328/sling-tv-bulks-up-base-package-with-amc-and-ifc-next-month.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=TechHive|last=Newman|first=Jared|title=Sling TV brings back the linear video element that other cord-cutting services lack, but could use some polish and a few more features|date= January 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sling TV's web-based live television opens to all cord cutters, adds AMC to lineup|last=Paul|first=Ian|date=February 9, 2015|url=http://www.techhive.com/article/2880211/sling-tvs-web-based-live-television-opens-to-all-cord-cutters-adds-amc-to-lineup.html|access-date=March 11, 2015|archive-date=April 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405222950/https://www.techhive.com/article/2880211/sling-tvs-web-based-live-television-opens-to-all-cord-cutters-adds-amc-to-lineup.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2016, AMC introduced a new slate of original unscripted series, including ''[[Ride with Norman Reedus]]'', ''[[Geeking Out]]'', and new expansions of the ''Talking Dead'' format with ''[[Talking Saul]]'', ''[[Preacher (TV series)#Talking Preacher|Talking Preacher]]'', and ''[[Talking with Chris Hardwick]]''.<ref name=IGN>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/06/10/the-walking-deads-norman-reedus-on-his-new-motorcycle-travel-series|title=THE WALKING DEAD'S NORMAN REEDUS ON HIS NEW MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL SERIES|website=[[IGN]]|author=Eric Goldman|date=June 10, 2016|access-date=June 13, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Geeking-Out-Premiere">{{cite news|last1=Pedersen|first1=Erik|title=AMC Sets Late-Night Talk Show Hosted By Kevin Smith & Greg Grunberg|url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/amc-late-night-talk-show-host-kevin-smith-greg-grunberg-1201700977/|access-date=February 13, 2016|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=February 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://tvline.com/news/talking-with-chris-hardwick-weekly-talk-show-amc-799478/ |title=Talking Dead's Chris Hardwick to Get Weekly Talk Show on AMC|work=TVLine |first=Dave |last=Nemetz |date=March 2017 |access-date=April 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amc.com/shows/talking-dead/talk/2017/03/amc-to-launch-talking-with-chris-hardwick-sunday-april-9-at-1110c%3Famp%3Dtrue|title=AMC to Launch Talking with Chris Hardwick Sunday, April 9 at 11/10c|work=AMC|date=March 1, 2017|access-date=April 7, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Programming==
===Series programming===
{{Further|List of programs broadcast by AMC}}
Although movies remain an integral part of AMC's schedule, the network has garnered attention in recent years for its original series. The channel's first original series was the game show ''[[The Movie Masters]]'', which ran from 1989 to 1990 and was otherwise notable for being [[Gene Rayburn]]'s last hosting role; outside ''Remember WENN'' and ''Filmfakers'', most of AMC's original programming prior to September 2007 consisted of film history-related documentary and review programs. The establishment of ''[[Mad Men]]'' in 2007, followed by that of ''[[Breaking Bad]]'' in 2008, and ''[[Better Call Saul]]'' in 2015, has given AMC a reputation on par with premium cable networks [[HBO]] and [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]], both of which rejected ''Mad Men'' before it came to AMC.<ref name="Stanley"/>

AMC also airs [[broadcast syndication|acquired programming]], ranging from black-and-white filmed shows (such as ''[[The Rifleman]]'' and shorts from ''[[The Three Stooges]]'') to contemporary series (such as ''[[CSI: Miami]]'').

===Movie library===
AMC maintains movie licensing rights agreements with [[Warner Bros.]], [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (including films from [[United Artists]] and library content from [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]], [[Orion Pictures]], and [[Cannon Group]]), [[Universal Pictures]] (including some films from [[DreamWorks Animation]] as titles from [[Illumination (company)|Illumination Entertainment]] and most from [[Focus Features]] are absent), [[Paramount Pictures]] (including films from pre-2011 [[DreamWorks Pictures]] and [[Miramax]]), [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]] (primarily film content from [[Touchstone Pictures]], [[Hollywood Pictures]], [[20th Century Studios]], [[Searchlight Pictures]], [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]], [[Walt Disney Animation Studios]], and [[Buena Vista International]], while titles from [[Pixar]], [[Lucasfilm]], much of [[Marvel Studios]], and the defunct [[Blue Sky Studios]] are not included because of other channels' agreements, including those owned by Disney themselves) and [[Sony Pictures Entertainment]] (including [[Columbia Pictures]], [[TriStar Pictures]], [[Sony Pictures Classics]], [[Screen Gems]], and [[Triumph Films]]). Since the 2002 format change, the network's film telecasts usually are "television" cuts meant for basic cable, which feature content edits, censoring or dubbing of [[profanity|profanities]], and some time edits by removing some superfluous plotting or toning down scenes with adult content inappropriate for basic cable broadcast to fit within a set timeslot with commercials added.

====FearFest====
In 1997, AMC launched "Monsterfest", a popular week-long marathon of [[horror film]]s and thrillers that aired from mid- or late October every year for Halloween until the day after Halloween. In the mid-2000s, AMC started a Monsterfest blog on its website,<ref>{{cite web|author =AMC|url=http://amctv.typepad.com/monsterfest/ |title=AMC TV: Monsterfest |publisher=Amctv.typepad.com |date=April 6, 2010 |access-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref> which chronicled news on horror-related film and television productions. In addition, AMC presented "Fear Friday", a horror movie [[double feature]] on late Friday evenings. On September 26, 2008, AMC announced the launch of a new horror-themed movie marathon for its October schedule called "Fearfest" (which replaced Monsterfest); coinciding with this, the "Monsterfest" blog was renamed as the "Horror Hacker" blog. "Fearfest" also ran from mid- or late October every year for Halloween until the day after Halloween too from 2008 to 2021. Beginning in 2021, Fearfest now runs throughout the whole month of October.

==== Best Christmas Ever ====
{{Main|Best Christmas Ever (TV programming block)}}
AMC had typically aired a rotating lineup of five to six [[List of Christmas films|Christmas movies]] during the holiday season. In 2018, the channel introduced a more extensive holiday lineup branded as Best Christmas Ever, running from November 26 to December 25, featuring a mix of popular Christmas and family films, along with other acquired specials. The schedule included notable acquisitions from [[Warner Bros.]], including ''[[Elf (film)|Elf]]'', ''[[National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation]]'', ''[[The Polar Express (film)|The Polar Express]]'', and 12 [[Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment]] specials (the films had been recent mainstays of [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform]]'s competing ''[[25 Days of Christmas]]'' schedule, with ''Elf'' in particular having received extensive airplay and high viewership during the event), as well as other specials from [[DreamWorks Animation]].<ref name="vulture-amc18">{{Cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/09/amc-best-christmas-ever-holiday-programming.html|title=AMC Nabs Christmas Classics As the War for Holiday TV Audiences Heats Up|last=Adalian|first=Josef|work=Vulture|access-date=November 17, 2018|language=en}}</ref> As expected, AMC saw ratings gains over the holiday season; primetime viewership for the first two weeks of the event was up 40% year-over-year, airings of ''Elf'' and ''Christmas Vacation'' both peaked at 1.5 million viewers, and average viewership of feature films on Freeform fell by 36% year-over-year in the same period.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/elf-christmas-vacation-make-holiday-magic-amc-1169159|title='Elf' and 'Christmas Vacation' Make Holiday Magic for AMC|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=December 13, 2018 |language=en|access-date=March 21, 2019}}</ref>

===AMC Premiere===
'''AMC''' Premiere is an add-on subscription service only available as an extra to those already normally subscribed to AMC. It involves access to an expanded On-Demand library compared to the standard "AMC OnDemand" library packaged with the usual cable service. This is necessary to view many "locked" programs on the AMC website (such as complete availability to The Walking Dead all eleven seasons) which prompts someone to subscribe for ~$5/mo or ~$30/yr. For currently-airing programs it sometimes gives early access to viewing them before they debut on the main AMC channel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/news/watch-the-walking-dead-season-10-premiere-early-amc/ |title=How to Watch The Walking Dead Season 10 Premiere Early |website=comicbook.com |last=Bonomolo |first=Cameron |date=September 19, 2019 |access-date=July 23, 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928222315/https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/news/watch-the-walking-dead-season-10-premiere-early-amc/ |archive-date=September 28, 2020 }}</ref>

=== AMC+ ===
{{main|AMC+}}
AMC+ is a premium, commercial-free streaming bundle that includes the same benefits of AMC Premiere, early access to additional AMC series, as well as additional library content from sister networks BBC America, IFC, and SundanceTV, and the complete collections of fellow AMC Networks streaming services including Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2020/10/01/all-seven-seasons-of-amcs-decorated-drama-mad-men-available-commercial-free-on-amcplus-beginning-today-638410/20201001amc01/|title=All Seven Seasons of AMC's Decorated Drama "Mad Men" Available Commercial-Free on AMC+ Beginning Today|author=AMC Networks (press release)|work=The Futon Critic|date=October 1, 2020|access-date=November 9, 2020}}</ref> The service is available through most streaming services for $8.99 per month like [[Apple TV (device)|Apple TV]], [[Amazon Prime Video]] and [[Roku]] and it's also at a reduced price for existing AMC channel subscribers too like [[Xfinity]], [[Dish Network]] and [[Sling TV]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|display=AMC|d=Q294660|c=category:AMC (TV channel)|n=no|q=no|s=no|wikt=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no}}
* {{Official website}}

{{AMC Networks}}
{{AMC Shows}}
{{U.S. movie television channels}}
{{U.S. premium television services (defunct)}}
{{Canadian movie channels}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Television networks in the United States]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1984]]
[[Category:English-language television stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Movie channels in the United States]]
[[Category:AMC Networks]]
[[Category:1984 establishments in the United States]]