To media buyers are looking for a place to park their advertising dollars during this crowded era of peak TV, AMC Networks' message is we've got the good stuff and we air commercials.
After holding a large-scale star studded upfront event last year AMC Networks this week is beginning a series of smaller scale dinners and lunches. Talent will be in attendance, but Scott Collins, president of ad sales at AMC Networks, says the more intimate setting will allow clients and agencies speak a little more freely, be a little more comfortable, and ask more engaging questions about client needs.
Collins contends that the networks he's selling stand out even at a time when more channels and increasing number of tech-driven streaming services are trying to compete in AMC's wheelhouse.
Read More: Upfront Central
We think it's a great moment for us. We tend to produce the stuff that people really do care about and the stuff that really breaks through, Collins says.
When you stop and consider the explosion of content, it really is on the platforms that are not ad supported that's vying for people's attention, he adds. At AMC Networks we are proudly ad supported so it makes what we have that much more unique and precious.
Most precious remains The Walking Dead, which despite declining ratings remains the most-watched scripted show in TV.
Collins also points to the programming on the company's other networks.
After a big reception for the first episodes of BBC America's Planet Earth: Blue Planet 2, which was simulcast on all five AMC Networks channels, the company is going to market with plans to simulcast the entire season of the next installment on BBC America, AMC, IFC and Sundance TV.
This type of content, it's so unique and so different. It's such wonderful feel-good television and we think we can make a much bigger event out of it, Collins says.
Renewed for second seasons are BBC America's Killing Eve, Sundance TV's Liar and Love After Lockup on WE-TV.
AMC sells more than commercials. Last year it did a big augmented reality program for Mountain Dew that let users capture Walking Dead zombies and win soft drinks. AMC did research on the sponsorship and found that it created $10 million in incremental sales and converted 9% of soda drinkers into Mountain Dew drinkers.
That sort of showcase for the power of television and how our IP affects cash register is pretty potent for us, Collins says.
AMC has also getting involved with gaming, launching an augmented reality game called Our World. Collins says the game will be able to drive traffic to stores and restaurants and is looking for sponsors.
In a market where the big boys are showing off their data power, AMC Networks recently launched its own Agility data-driven advertising division. Agility's first product is Aurora, a targeted solution platform that promises a high level of transparency as well as an ability to be used for planning TV across networks.
It's on a client's desktop so they can actually play with it and see it's not just what we want you to buy on our air, but you could actually optimize your target across all of television, Collins says.
AMC Networks is also in the business of events that build its own brands and present opportunities for advertisers to sponsor.
The list includes long running events like the Sundance Festival and Independent Spirit Awards as well as newer ones like Rooftop Films and Afropunk in Brooklyn.
I recent weeks there have been a number of forecasts calling for TV spending to be flat to down for the foreseeable future while digital grows. In the fourth quarter, AMC Networks reported a 9.9% drop in ad revenue to $269 million at its national networks. For the full year, ad revenue were down 3.1% to $960 million.
But like many TV ad execs, Collins is upbeat about the upfront market as Facebook's found Mark Zuckerberg faces Congress over privacy issues.
Upfronts are funning because sometimes they can surprise you and they have their own pace and cadence. I think a lot of people are going to be concerned about getting their money down on the right content and I think that remains the driver of upfronts, and I don't think this year will be any different, he says.
There's a lot of uncertainty out there and I think television has proven time and time again to really be able to move product and tell stories about brands, he says. Safety hasn't been solved either [by digital ad sellers], he added.
I guess it depends on who you talk to, but I think a lot of brands really need the consistency and the safeness and the I don't what I'm getting with television' and when someone is looking for that, we have that in spades, Collins says.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
14/03/2026
Combines mic, USB interface & wireless IEMs
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, HISONG have announced that their innovative AirStudio S1 device is ...
13/03/2026
Spotify has always been built around your taste. More than 80% of listeners say personalization is what they love most about us. Now we're taking that even ...
13/03/2026
The new Spotify Legends Club has opened its doors. Its members: select German-sp...
13/03/2026
Pushing drum sampler technology into new territories
The latest version of Klevgrand's software drum sampler has just arrived, boasting a newly designe...
13/03/2026
Expanded headphone support & engine improvements
IK Multimedia's recently introduced ARC On-Ear system brings the power of their monitoring-correction s...
13/03/2026
Extra sound collections, more presets & new Keys category
UVI's rhythm and pattern instrument has just received a major update that introduces four new ...
13/03/2026
13 Mar 2026
VEON Delivers Record Digital Growth: 4Q25 Digital Revenues Grow 84%...
13/03/2026
Friday 13 March 2026
Sky Adds Blood on Snow to Original Film Slate in Acquisiti...
13/03/2026
RT has announced today that Rick O'Shea is the new presenter of Arena RT Radio 1's flagship weeknight arts and culture programme. Rick has been pres...
13/03/2026
Lights! Camera! Action! The 98th Oscars set to air live as RT backs the Irish n...
12/03/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 11th March, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dyna...
12/03/2026
In Latin America, women are shaping music and defining its future. To kick off t...
12/03/2026
En Am rica Latina, las mujeres est n moldeando la m sica y definiendo su futuro....
12/03/2026
Let's turn back the clock 20 years: The music landscape was a world away fro...
12/03/2026
Bad Bunny is no stranger to Spotify's Billions Club. In fact, he has a whopp...
12/03/2026
Spotify was at the London Book Fair this week, joining conversations across the publishing industry about how people can make reading part of their daily lives....
12/03/2026
Mastering tool improves mono compatibility
Tokyo Dawn Labs' Ohlhorst Digital range is a series of mastering-focused plug-ins developed by Jan Ohlhorst, ...
12/03/2026
Wave FX processor integrated into four products
Lewitt have teamed up with Elgato to create a new processor for the company's Wave Next product range, i...
12/03/2026
Free tool for annotating audio files
Mix Notes is a new, free iOS App that provides users with a simple way to annotate their audio files. It's been cre...
12/03/2026
Side-chain ducking tool gets an upgrade
Devious Machines' popular side-chaining and envelope-shaping tool has just been kitted out with an improved enve...
12/03/2026
Ceremony to take place on 16 April 2026
The MPG (Music Producers Guild) have revealed the full shortlist for this year's MPG Awards, which will be takin...
12/03/2026
Emulates three classic dbx 160 variants
The latest arrival to Overloud's Gem Series plug-in range faithfully recreates not one, but three versions of th...
12/03/2026
New granular soft synth announced
Said to be their most advanced software synthesizer to date, Baby Audio's latest release has been built on a new granu...
12/03/2026
Latest version now live!
Edit 11 March 2026 - Bitwig Studio 6 is now live, and available for all to download!
The latest version of Bitwig's DAW softwa...
12/03/2026
Latest free eBook now available!
Designed for recording engineers, audio-technology students and technically minded musicians, our latest free eBook deliver...
12/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity expands SITLine network encryptor portfolio - more...
12/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to showcase future-proof EMC testing solutions at EMV 2026 Rohde & Schwarz will participate in EMV 2026, Europe's premier trade fair and c...
12/03/2026
Modern media operations demand a platform that unites automation, orchestration, and human oversight without compromise. In this post, we explore the six key te...
12/03/2026
A deep dive into the platform
Architecture The Blue Lucy platform follows a distributed microservices architecture, meaning the overall operational capability...
12/03/2026
Orchestration platform enables broadcasters to deploy multiple AI models safely with full auditability, rights protection, and regulatory oversight.
LONDON, En...
12/03/2026
Wuppertal March 12, 2026
Riedel Expands Managed Technology Division in the Ame...
12/03/2026
Advanced Media Server Delivers Double the Channel Density at Half the Cost per C...
12/03/2026
The Late Late Show Show St Patrick's Day special
Dancing with the Stars f...
11/03/2026
First Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) deployment of the emergency.lu platform for refugees and their host communities' use provides dependable broadband for humani...
11/03/2026
Following a successful first series, UKTV today announces the commission of two ...
11/03/2026
Wednesday 11 March 2026
Sky and CANAL launch new partnership to develop English-language drama
Sky and CANAL are today announcing a strategic co commissioni...
11/03/2026
NTCA, Cartesian Release New Report on the Business Case for USF
March 11, 2026
Network Economics
News
NTCA - March 11, 2026 - As the FCC and Congr...
11/03/2026
TELL US YOUR (SHORT) STORIES
The 2026 RT Short Story Competition is now open for entries
Recognising and rewarding the best new Irish fiction writing for...
11/03/2026
RT 's The Traitors Ireland is among the nominees for the 2026 Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards for Excellence, announced today....
10/03/2026
10 Mar 2026
VEON's Largest Market Pakistan Almost Triples Mobile Spectrum i...
09/03/2026
Contains all six dual-ensemble libraries
VSL's Duality Strings series offers an intriguing alternative to your average string library, capturing two str...
09/03/2026
Outstanding Contribution To UK Music
Photo: Samuel Bradley
Ahead of their upcoming MPG Awards, the Music Producers Guild (MPG) have revealed the latest win...
09/03/2026
Two new high-quality DI boxes announced
Boasting some impressive technical specifications and versatile routing options, Strymon's latest active DI boxe...
09/03/2026
Latest MPE-capable Soundbox library released
The follow-up release for Sonora Cinematic's Pure Nylon has arrived, and becomes the latest addition to the...
To media buyers are looking for a place to park their advertising dollars during this crowded era of peak TV, AMC Networks' message is we've got the good stuff and we air commercials.
