Ranking The Potential Of Each Streaming Service

Estimated Subscribers – 1m

When the concept of ‘peak television’ began to emerge in the late 2000s, two American cable networks were at the forefront. HBO was well-established as the home of quality dramas such as The Sopranos and The Wire, whilst AMC, formerly a channel dedicated to classic cinema, burst onto the scene with the trifecta of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead.

Though many have criticised the former as overly pretentious and the latter as well past its best as it approaches its eleventh and final season, few can deny their appeal.

Whilst HBO has always been under the umbrella of a major Hollywood studio, AMC is independent, having been divested from parent ownership in 2011. Though they have continued to invest heavily in new programming, nothing has quite managed to reach the heights of their holy trinity, despite the plaudits earned by the likes of Halt & Catch Fire.

Without an extensive back catalogue to lean upon, AMC+ is severely lacking in depth even with the addition of content from the likes of BBC America, Shudder and Sundance Now (independent films), which has only been sufficient to take subscriber numbers into seven figures.

A better option for the network going forwards will almost certainly be to sell the streaming rights to the properties that they still own for sizable amounts rather than trying to use them to swim amongst the sharks themselves.