Regarding ad formats, Kellher noted that, like most ad-supported launches, there won’t be overwhelming inventory at the start, with the product having a “sponsorship model initially.” There will be exclusivity for some categories and a light ad load that will be bespoke to the programming.
“We have some movies that will have mid-roll and pre-roll. We will have some movies that will not,” Kelleher said. “We’re going to try to maintain the viewer experience in all of the decisions.”
Making room for its Content Room
Keeping the viewer in mind, as well as the advertiser, AMC is also building out its Content Room strategy, expanding its existing slate of programming with touchpoints across linear, streaming and CTV platforms.
The production unit provides several benefits to the company, consumers and marketers. In addition to owning all the IP from its Content Room, AMC is using its programming and high-profile talent to keep fans interested between seasons and allow brands to get involved.
Among the highlights, the Emmy-nominated series Cooper’s Bar, starring Rhea Seehorn, is returning for a second season in October and expanding from its first season short-form format to 30-minute episodes that will premiere on the linear network IFC before moving to other platforms. Additionally, the upcoming six-part short-form series Night Island will serve as the first time AMC’s Anne Rice universe will collide, premiering across all of AMC’s digital, streaming and linear platforms in the fourth quarter of 2023.
“These shows are workhorses for our partners because they’re built to create elasticity for them to get involved in, for us as schedulers because they’re great retention play and for the fans because it’s something that they didn’t even know was out there,” Kim Granito, head of marketing for AMC Networks, said. “They’re always delighted to see someone like Rhea Seehorn show up in a series that’s so outside the world of Better Call Saul, and Colman Domingo shows up in between seasons of Fear the Walking Dead. It has proven to be fruitful for us for a number of business verticals.”
And within its growing content ecosystem, the company is also bringing more capabilities to marketers looking to reach its audiences.
Reaching audiences anywhere
AMC has teamed up with data and analytics firm 605 to create a new Audience+ insights and data targeting service, allowing partners to identify and reach viewers across all of its ad-supported distribution platforms. The offering was designed to respond to changing viewer habits, with cross-platform capabilities across linear and digital, enabling addressable advertising everywhere AMC content is watched.
“The cross-platform part for us is extremely important because this is also the culmination of all of the addressable development work that we’ve done over the past three years to enable an advertiser to truly develop an audience profile that they want to target and reach and make sure that they can reach that audience across any platform,” Evan Adlman, executive vice president of commercial sales and revenue operations for AMC Networks, said.