AMC Networks’ New Walking Dead Spinoff and Upfront Pitch Feed Into Doggone Fandom

The new The Walking Dead spinoff is going to the dogs, and AMC Networks wouldn’t have it any other way.

Ahead of its in-person upfront event slated for April 10 at Chelsea Factory in New York, AMC Networks is making several announcements, including revealing its next foray into intellectual property from The Walking Dead universe, with an upcoming series called The Walking Dogs.

The show comes from the company’s content room—AMC Networks’ in-house branded entertainment studio that connects brands to its IP—and capitalizes on viewers’ love for Dog, Daryl Dixon’s canine companion in The Walking Dead universe. The talk-show-like series will showcase Walking Dead talent bringing their pooches along for chats with fans and brands alike.

“We know that the relationship between Daryl and Dog is one that pops. We sell a ton of merch around Dog, so this is a really fun premise for an original series,” said Kim Granito, chief marketing officer of AMC Networks. “A lot of the cast members have dogs of their own, and fans want to know more, so this is a talk show with Walking Dead dog owners, their dogs and brands.”

It’s all part of the company’s philosophy and new tagline heading into upfront season, “Entertainment Uncompromised,” Kim Kelleher, chief commercial officer of AMC Networks, told ADWEEK.

According to Kelleher, the company is focusing on all aspects of fandom for the upfront, connecting viewers to the AMC Networks IP they care about in new ways with premium, quality offerings and bringing marketers along for the ride.

“At a time when there’s so much evolving in the industry and so many moving parts, it’s very easy to compromise, to make cheaper stuff, fast audiences and high volume. We are staying very committed to a quality product,” Kelleher told ADWEEK. “That’s what our studio does best. We are not going to waver on that.”

Bringing fandom to marketers

In an effort to inspire fandom among marketers, Granito said this year’s upfront event will be even more experiential than previous years, with immersive screens, talent at every table and surprises throughout the night.

“Shows from The Walking Dead and Anne Rice universes evoke emotions and connections to our fandoms,” Granito said. “And we wanted to create an experience in the room that allowed our advertisers to get all of the feels that our fans feel.”

In addition to The Walking Dogs, AMC Networks’ content room’s upcoming slate includes a number of other opportunities for advertisers, with a new season of In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin; more Show Me More, which is a backstage pass to shows in AMC’s universes; and new offerings such as Vibe Check With Reginae, the content room’s social-first lifestyle series with host Reginae Carter.

The content room is also announcing “The Joy of Horror,” a new yearlong horror opportunity for advertisers, with Josh Ruben, an award-winning actor, horror writer, producer and director, serving as the company’s “Ambassador of Horror” as it creates content across its platforms and through its annual FearFest programming event.

“We are going to be working with [Josh Ruben] to create custom advertiser films that will live within these immersive horror environments that we have across the portfolio,” Granito said. “We’re pretty excited about that one.”

Plus, more ad tiers

Despite ongoing fragmentation in the TV industry and declining linear viewership, Evan Adlman, executive vice president of commercial sales and revenue operations at AMC Networks, told ADWEEK that the company’s combined endpoints have resulted in “the largest audiences we’ve ever had.”

“More than 50% of the viewership of our programming is consumed after that traditional C3 window,” Adlman said. “We still have large audiences that come to our linear networks, but they’re aggregating at all of our endpoints together.”

AMC Networks used its last upfront season to announce that AMC+ was getting an ad tier. Now, to give advertisers more reach of its audiences (as well as provide consumers with more options in an increasingly price-pinched landscape), the company is launching ad-supported versions of Shudder, Acorn TV, Hidive, AllBlk, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited, with more information such as pricing forthcoming.

The company is also expanding its Audience+ targeting platform to give advertisers better precision and reach, allowing marketers to map to specific target audiences across its ad-supported distribution endpoints, including linear, streaming and CTV/FAST (connected TV/free ad-supported streaming TV).

Kelleher explained that the company’s strategy is about giving advertisers flexibility in everything from reaching audiences to transacting with the measurement and currency they choose, perhaps turning marketers into fans along the way.

“We have partnerships with all [measurement companies] and are very happy to meet you wherever you need to. We’re not forcing you to transact this way or that way,” Kelleher said. “Come however you want … we don’t care if you come through the front door or the chimney, just come in the house.”